• Russia launched its "military operation" in Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Every evening, at 19:30 pm, 20 Minutes offers you its recap on the Russian-Ukrainian diplomatic conflict that has become a war that leaves dead and wounded and thousands of refugees every day.
  • Who did what? Who said what? And who supports whom and why? You will know everything about the progress of the negotiations and the events of this crisis that is shaking Russia, Ukraine, Europe and the United States.
  • This Wednesday, the 357th day of the conflict, Ukrainian soldiers hold "firmly" their positions in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine where the situation is "the most difficult" facing Russian troops.

Did you miss the latest events about the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every night, at 19:30 pm. Who did what? Who said what? Where do we stand? The answer below:

The fact of the day

Ukraine announced Wednesday that it had shot down several "balloons" sent by Russia to test its air defense systems in Kiev, amid international awareness of the use of these spy objects. "According to preliminary information, half a dozen aerial objects were detected in Kiev airspace [...]. These were balloons that move under the influence of the wind," the regional military administration of the Ukrainian capital said. "It is possible that these objects carried reflective systems and some spy equipment," added the same source, assuring that "most" of the balloons had been shot.

The presence of these flying objects caused anti-aircraft sirens to go off in the Ukrainian capital, which usually happens when missiles approach.

The phrase of the day

There are also hundreds of Iranian-made drones that Russia uses on battlefields in Ukraine. These Iranian drones are killing Ukrainian civilians. »

These are the words of Ursula von der Leyen delivered on Wednesday before the European Parliament in Strasbourg. The President of the European Commission said that the EU was proposing to target Iranian operators in its tenth package of sanctions against Moscow in preparation. New sanctions that should total 11 billion euros.

Today's figure

5.6. This is in billions of dollars the amount of humanitarian assistance requested by the United Nations to cover the needs this year of 11.1 million people in Ukraine and 4.2 million refugees and their host communities in Europe.

Today's trend

Ukrainian soldiers "firmly" hold their positions in Bakhmut, a city in eastern Ukraine where the situation is "the most difficult" against Russian troops, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday. "This is the most difficult, hottest point right now," he said during a press conference in Kiev with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, who is visiting the Ukrainian capital.

Our dossier on the war in Ukraine

"It's not easy for our soldiers in the east but it's not for nothing that we talk about the 'Bakhmut fortress'. Our fortress is alive," he continued, paying tribute to the Ukrainian servicemen who "firmly hold" their positions. Volodymyr Zelensky also cited as a hot spot Vougledar, south of Bakhmut, in the same province of Donetsk in which the Russians are on the offensive.

On Tuesday evening, he had already reported an "extremely difficult" situation in Bakhmut, where most of the clashes have been taking place for months and where Russian troops have nibbled ground in recent weeks. It should be noted that fighting has also increased in intensity in recent days in the province of Lugansk, neighboring that of Donetsk.

World

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World

War in Ukraine: Bakhmout "it's like Verdun" and producing more ammunition "it's a challenge"

  • War in Ukraine
  • Russia
  • Donbass
  • Vladimir Poutine
  • Volodymyr Zelensky