• Russia launched its "military operation" in Ukraine on Thursday, February 24, 2022. Every evening, at 19:30 pm, 20 Minutes offers you its recap of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict 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.
  • On Thursday, Wagner's mercenaries began the transfer of their positions in Bakhmut to the regular Russian army.

Did you miss the latest events about the war in Ukraine? Don't panic, 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.

News of the day

Crossover at Bakhmut. The regular Russian army is beginning to take over the positions of the paramilitary group Wagner, which claimed responsibility for taking the city in eastern Ukraine over the weekend. This operation is taking place at a time when the Russian army is in a delicate situation on the flanks of Bakhmut, having lost, according to the Ukrainians, 20 square kilometers north and south of this city to their forces.

"We are withdrawing units from Bakhmut today. By June 1, most of them will relocate to bases in the rear," Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said in a video posted on Telegram. In these images, he greets his men by giving them instructions and wishing them good luck, avoiding this time repeating his criticism of the general staff of the Russian army, with which he is in open conflict. "We withdraw, we rest, we prepare, and then we will receive new tasks," Prigozhin added. A Ukrainian Deputy Minister of Defense, Ganna Maliar, confirmed the information.

The phrase of the day

Its disappearance leaves you with a huge void. It upsets us all. »

Emmanuel Macron sent in a letter his "sincere condolences" to the employees of the France-Press Agency after the death in eastern Ukraine of their colleague Arman Soldin who was "the face" of a "passion", "the duty to inform".

Despite the "sorrow" and "anger", "the memory of Arman Soldin will also be evoked with admiration and pride", added the head of state. "His name will remain associated with the honor of your profession," he told AFP journalists, assuring them, in a handwritten sentence, of his "sincere condolences" and his "constant support."

Today's figure

36. This is the number of drones launched by Russia overnight and destroyed by Kiev. Moscow "continues to terrorize Ukraine" and has launched 36 drones, Volodymyr Zelensky said on Telegram. "None of them achieved their goal," he said, thanking the country's air defense.

The Ukrainian Air Force said the Iranian-made Shahed 136/131 drones were launched from the north and south. "The enemy was probably targeting critical infrastructure and military sites in the south of the country," she said on Telegram. Since early May, Russia has stepped up its night-time missile and drone attacks against Ukraine.

Today's trend

Vladimir Putin's threat is carried out. The Russian president announced on March 25 that Moscow would deploy "tactical" nuclear weapons on the territory of Belarus, a country located on the doorstep of the European Union. This transfer has begun, according to the country's president, Alexander Lukashenko. Russia, for its part, had no immediate comment. "The transfer of nuclear warloads has begun, it has already begun," the Belarusian head of state said, responding to a question from a Russian journalist in a video broadcast by the Belarusian presidency's unofficial Telegram channel, Pul Pervogo.

Our dossier on the war in Ukraine

Exiled opponent Svetalana Tikhanovskaya on Thursday denounced a threat to the entire European continent. "This not only endangers the lives of Belarusians, but also creates a new threat for Ukraine, for all of Europe," Svetlana Tikhanovskaya wrote on Twitter. "When it comes to tactical nuclear weapons, most are as powerful as the one that killed 140,000 people in Hiroshima," she added. So-called "tactical" nuclear weapons can cause immense damage, but their radius of destruction is more limited than that of "strategic" nuclear weapons.

  • War in Ukraine
  • World
  • Russia
  • Yevgeny Prigozhin
  • Volodymyr Zelensky
  • Bakhmut
  • Vladimir Poutine