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UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – Le Figaro summarizes the latest information from journalists, Ukrainian and Russian statements, Western sources and international organizations.
By Le Figaro with AFP
Published 2/22/2023 at 7:35 PM, updated 2/22/2023 at 8:40 PM
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Ukrainian soldiers fire grenade launchers at Russian positions near Bakhmout on February 20. ANATOLII STEPANOV / AFP
95% of Ukrainians trust in their country’s victory, Putin is cheered by tens of thousands, Biden denounces the suspension of Russia’s participation in the New Start treaty… This Wednesday, February 22, Le Figaro takes stock of the latest Information on the war in Ukraine.
In Lugansk, Russian troops break through Ukrainian defenses before being repulsed
Russian troops broke through Ukrainian defenses near the city of Kreminna in Luhansk province on Tuesday, the region’s governor said in an interview with Ukrainian television on Wednesday. However, Russian forces were pushed back soon after and lost heavy weapons, Portal news agency reported, citing the senior official.
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After a year of war, 95% of Ukrainians are sure of victory
95 percent of Ukrainians believe in their country’s victory over Russia, according to a poll by Ukraine’s Rating Group institute conducted in early February, which shows that the country’s resolve is not faltering after a year of war. At the same time, 97% of Ukrainians polled say they trust their army (up from 65% in 2019) and 90% in their President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (36% in January 2022), according to the poll.
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While 17% of the population said they had lost a loved one killed in the war, more than half (58%) felt it was “impossible” to reestablish friendly relations with the Russians and Belarusians, whose country is an ally of Moscow. For 22% such a recovery is possible “in 20 to 30 years” and for 11% “in 10 to 15 years”. Two-thirds of Ukrainians saw their economic situation deteriorating and 36% said they had lost their jobs. In contrast, the proportion of Ukrainians living apart from their relatives due to the war fell from 41% in March 2022 to 21% a year later.
The survey was conducted in February among a “representative sample” of more than 1,600 Ukrainians living in different regions of the country, except for the Russian-held areas of Crimea and the east.
Russia is fighting in Ukraine for its “historic lands,” proclaimed cheese fries
Tens of thousands of people gathered at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow on Wednesday to attend the mega “patriotic” concert organized to mark the first anniversary of the start of the military campaign in Ukraine. Russia is currently fighting for its “historic lands” in Ukraine, announced Russian President Vladimir Putin there. “Today the (military) hierarchy told me that in our historical countries they are fighting for our people,” Vladimir Putin said on stage.
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During his appearance, which lasted only a few minutes, the head of state also paid tribute to the Russian soldiers stationed in Ukraine who “fight with heroism, courage and bravery: we are proud of them”. He claimed that all those who supported the Russian army were “in a way also defenders of the fatherland”. They are “medical personnel, defense sector personnel, transport (…) all of you who have come today to support our fighters”.
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China outlines to Russia its vision for a “political solution” to the conflict
China has presented its vision for a “political solution” to the conflict in Ukraine to Russia, the Russian Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday after the head of Chinese diplomacy Wang Yi’s trip to Moscow. “The Chinese partners have shared with us their thoughts on the causes of the Ukraine crisis as well as their approaches to its political solution,” Russia’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “There was no talk of a separate (peace) ‘plan’,” he noted, however.
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Vladimir Putin and the head of Chinese diplomacy, Wang Yi, this Wednesday. SPUTNIK / Portal
For his part, a senior Ukrainian official said the Chinese government did not consult Kyiv when drafting its peace plan, which is due to be published this week. “China has not consulted us,” said the official, who asked not to be known to several media outlets, including AFP.
Beijing has promised to release its proposal for a “political solution” this week, in time for the first anniversary of the start of Russia’s offensive in Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The head of Ukraine’s diplomacy, Dmytro Kouleba, met his counterpart The Chinese Wang Yi in Germany, announcing in Brussels on Tuesday that the latter had “informed him about the key elements of the Chinese peace plan”. “We are waiting to receive this text to study it in detail because we cannot draw any conclusions after an oral presentation,” added Dmytro Kouleba.
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Ukraine’s first lady pleads with the UN to create a special court
Ukrainian First Lady Olena Zelenska pleaded in a video message at the United Nations on Wednesday for the creation of a special court so that “aggression” like the Russian invasion of her country “cannot be repeated”. “I think you will all agree that regardless of country or nationality, you have the right not to be killed in your own homes,” she said in the message, published a year after the special report on human rights abuses in Ukraine became Russian invasion.
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Olena Zelenska and her husband Volodymyr Zelensky. UKRAINIAN PRESIDENTIAL PRESS SER / Portal
“But Ukrainians have been being killed in front of the whole world for a year now, in their cities, villages, homes, hospitals, theaters,” she added, defending Ukraine’s right to “self-defense.” “That’s why I call on the United Nations to set up a special tribunal for Russian aggression crimes. We’re not the only ones who need it, it’s for everyone. So it can’t happen again.” Ukrainians have been pushing for months for the creation of such a tribunal to try those responsible for the invasion of Ukraine.
Moscow’s suspension of the New Start treaty: “Serious mistake,” according to Biden
US President Joe Biden described Russia’s suspension of its participation in the New Start nuclear arms treaty as a “grave mistake” in Warsaw on Wednesday. When asked by a reporter about this announcement from Moscow, Joe Biden first joked that he had “no time”, then after a short pause he said: “serious error”. The two chambers of Russia’s parliament decided on Wednesday to suspend the New Start treaty, a decision announced the day before by President Vladimir Putin and unanimously denounced by western powers.
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The Wagner group urges the Russians to put pressure on the army to supply them with ammunition
The head of Russia’s paramilitary group Wagner on Wednesday urged the Russians to pressure the army to supply his men with ammunition, an unprecedented call that underscores the level of tension between the mercenaries and the Russian general staff.
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“If every Russian at his level – to (avoid) calling someone to demonstrate – would simply say: ‘Give Wagner bowls’ (…), then that would be important,” said the man responsible for the Evguéni Prigojine cases in one of the audio recordings published by his press service. This call is unprecedented in Russia, where even individual criticism of the Kremlin or the army is harshly repressed. For days, Yevgeny Prigoyine has been accusing the Russian high command of not supplying ammunition to his men, who are on the front line in the battle for the town of Bakhmout in eastern Ukraine.
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