- Russia launched its “military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. 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 Monday, Denmark announced that it would participate in Sweden's donation of Swedish CV90 light tanks to Ukraine worth 241 million euros.
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
Polish transport companies again blocked the largest cargo crossing on the border with Ukraine (in Dorohusk) on Monday to demand the reintroduction of entry permits to the European Union for their Ukrainian competitors. According to Polish police, about 1,800 trucks were lined up at the Dorohusk border crossing when the protest resumed. According to Polish police, the queue stretched for almost 46 kilometers.
Last week, local authorities in Dorohusk banned the blockade, but this decision was overturned by a court and truckers were allowed to continue their movement that began in early November. Ukrainian border guards confirmed the resumption of the blockade in a statement. The Polish organizers plan to “allow only one truck per hour to pass through this border post,” it said on Telegram.
The EU abandoned the system of entry permits for Ukrainian trucks almost two years ago, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and Polish truck drivers say the measure is hurting their income.
Sentence of the day
The terrorists declared me a terrorist. »
These are the words of writer Boris Akunin, who has lived in exile since 2014 and is on Russia's list of “terrorists and extremists.” In 2014, Akunin spoke out against the annexation of Ukraine's Crimean peninsula. On February 24, 2022, he complained on Facebook about the outbreak of an “absurd war.” “Insanity won,” he wrote at the time. “Russia is led by a deranged dictator and, what is worse, it obeys his paranoia,” denounced the writer.
The number of the day
241. Denmark will contribute to Sweden's donation of Swedish CV90 light tanks to Ukraine for an amount of 1.8 billion crowns (241 million euros), Copenhagen announced on Monday. The package also includes spare parts, ammunition and a post-delivery maintenance contract. Denmark has already provided Ukraine with bilateral assistance worth around 2.7 billion euros in military aid and around 375 million euros in civil aid.
Today's trend
On Sunday evening, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, who is often accused in Europe of playing into the Kremlin's hands and has been in office since 2017, claimed the victory of his party (SNS, nationalist right) in the parliamentary elections that served as a referendum on itself. And the Kremlin “welcomed” this victory in Serbia, a “friendly” and “fraternal” country, according to Moscow. “We hope that the journey will strengthen our friendship and our cooperation […] will continue,” Vladimir Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
Westerners, led by the US, have a poor image of the good relations between Russia and Serbia, where part of the population supports Moscow and shares its critical view of NATO. It is true that Moscow and Belgrade have historic ties and Serbia, which is seeking to join the EU, condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine at the United Nations but refused to take part in the sanctions against Moscow.
At the same time, Belgrade is counting on the support of Russia – and China – in the UN Security Council to prevent Kosovo, its former province that proclaimed its independence in 2008, from gaining a place in the international organization.
In early November, the pro-Russian director of the Serbian Intelligence Agency (BIA), Aleksandar Vulin, resigned from his post, four months after he was hit by American sanctions for his alleged involvement in “transnational organized crime.” Washington also accused him of helping Russia expand its influence in the Balkans to the detriment of regional security.