Live – War in Ukraine: Ukrainian authorities condemn “maximum intensity” fighting in the east

Four people have been killed in new bombings in Ukraine’s second city, Kharkiv, which began to return to normal in mid – May, regional governor Oleg Sinekopov said in a telegram on Thursday.

“The invaders are bombing the regional center again,” Oleg Sinekopov said. “According to initial reports, seven people were injured and unfortunately four died,” he added, urging residents to call for shelter.

In an interview on Thursday, Russian diplomat Sergei Lavrov ruled that the peace plan proposed by Italy in Ukraine was not “serious.”

“There is talk that Crimea (the Ukrainian peninsula annexed by Russia) and the Donbass (separatist territory recognized by Moscow) belong to Ukraine with vast autonomy,” Sergei Lavrov told Russian state media.

“Serious politicians who want results cannot propose such things, and those who do so are the ones who want to advertise themselves in front of their voters,” he said, speaking openly to Italian Foreign Minister Luigi de Mayo.

Italy has withdrawn one of its most prestigious honorary titles, “disgrace,” from Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mycostin, who will be decorated with Minister of Industry and Trade Denis Mondoro in 2020.

President Sergio Materella signed the decree, which was published Thursday in the official journal, under which “withdrew for disgrace” elevated Mikhail Mykostin and Denis Mandorov to the rank of “Grand Cross Knight of the Order of the Star of Italy”.

Deputy Minister of Industry Viktor Evtukov and Andrei Gostin, chairman of VTB Bank, Russia’s second largest bank, were promoted to the post of Commander-in-Chief in 2021.

On Thursday, French President Emmanuel Macron called on his Turkish envoy, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to “respect the sovereign will” of Finland and Sweden to join NATO, and hoped that a “solution” to the Turkish veto would be found soon.

“The President underscored the importance of respecting the sovereign choice of these two countries, which is the result of a democratic process and interfering with the evolution of their security environment,” Elysee said in a telephone interview.

On Wednesday, Recep Tayyip Erdogan threatened to veto the entry of these countries into the alliance if he did not receive “firm action” from them over his security concerns.

Ukraine’s Deputy Defense Minister Kanna Malyar said on Thursday that fighting against Russian troops in eastern Ukraine had reached “maximum intensity”.

“The fight has reached its maximum intensity and a long and very difficult phase awaits us,” the deputy minister said during a press conference.

Russian embassy spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that Western media and journalists would be expelled from Russia if the YouTube site blocked its weekly live commentary.

According to humanitarian aid organizers, the “20-ton bed linen and blankets” fire, which was intended for Ukraine on Thursday, was probably accidentally extinguished at a ground in Piraeus, a large port near Athens.

About 20 tons of bedding and blankets (…) were destroyed in the fire; fortunately the collected medicine and food items were not damaged, “said AFP’s Irina Bordnick, assistant chair of Humanitarian Affairs.

The fire did not cause heavy smoke and no injuries. An investigation was launched to establish the cause of the fire, which was put out, a fire department news office official said.

Three months after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave an interview to several media outlets. Free Belgium.

In the columns of the Belgian newspaper, Stoltenberg warns against a war in Ukraine, which risks involving allies in the long run.

“No one can say how long this war will last. But we must be prepared for the long haul.”

Stanislav “Slava” Medvedenko arrived as a guest on BFMTV this Thursday morning. A former basketball champion with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2002, he returned to our channel for his dedication to the players in the queue.

“I want to help my country because I hope it will last. We have already shown everyone that hope helps. We pushed them out of the queue. The Russians do not have that confidence, that is why they will lose. Ukraine will win.”

On Thursday, German Chancellor Olaf Scholes said he was “confident” that Russia would not win the provoked war in Ukraine and would not allow President Vladimir Putin to “command” peace.

“Putin should not win his war. I firmly believe that he will not win it,” the president said in a speech to the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. The invasion of Ukraine for more than three months has “already missed its strategic objectives”.

Ihor Kuzin was a guest on BFMTV this Thursday morning. Ukraine’s deputy health minister has returned fearing chemical or nuclear attacks from the Russians. According to him, Ukraine is preparing for the worst possible thanks to the teams mobilized on the ground.

“Today, we have no confirmed cases (use of chemical weapons in Ukraine), but we are aware of the use of phosphorus bombs, which were banned by the Geneva Convention,” he explains.

The Russian military, which has been involved in Ukraine for more than three months, will strengthen its forces. Thus a law on Wednesday abolished the age limit for joining the army.

According to Ukraine, 29,600 Russian soldiers have been killed and 1,315 tanks destroyed since the war began.

There are about 8,000 Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics of Lukansk and Donetsk, Lukansk official Rodion Miroshnik was quoted by DOS news agency on Thursday.

“There are a lot of prisoners. Of course, there are more people in the territory of the Donetsk Republic, but they are also large enough. Now the total number is about 8000. It is a lot, and hundreds more are added. Every day,” Miroshnik said.

The French president will meet with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan at 11:30 this Thursday, threatening to veto Finland and Sweden’s entry into NATO if he does not receive “firm action” from them over his security concerns.

French equipment from the Thales group was found in Russian tanks. However, the export of security equipment to Russia has been banned since 2014.

According to reports in the Ukrainian media and RevealIn April, a French intelligence agency reported that the company had sold used weapons and equipment by Russians in Ukraine. However, these agreements were signed between 2007 and 2012, before the 2014 ban.

This Thursday marks the 92nd day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia, through its “simplified procedure”, accused Ukraine of “doing absolutely nothing” with NATO.

>> Our complete sheet

The Ukrainian military says Russian forces have shelled more than 40 cities in the Donbass region of Ukraine. Acquired by ReutersThreatening to close the last major escape route for civilians trapped in their invasion, now in its fourth month.

After failing to capture the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, or its second city, Kharkiv, Russia is seeking to seize full control of the Donbass, the two eastern provinces claimed by Moscow on behalf of the separatists.

In Kharkiv, some Russian street names are erased and European flags are sometimes hung on windows. The Russophile city wants to show its opposition to the Kremlin by trying to destroy all traces of Russia.

The United States on Wednesday condemned Russia’s decision to facilitate the issuance of Russian passports to residents of southern Ukraine as an attempt to “subjugate” its now-controlled population.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Netflix told a news conference that the plan was “a Russian ploy to subjugate the Ukrainian people – to force their will” and that the United States would “vehemently reject” such a plan.

Russian star Soprano Anna Netrebko stood up and applauded for returning to the stage in the western capital on Wednesday evening after being criticized after the war in Ukraine at the Philharmonic de Paris. Entering the stage, he was greeted with a standing ovation by the public for a long time.

Laughing casually, dressed in a long black and white dress, fluttering from time to time, standing at the end of the show and receiving applause, Rashmaninov explained pieces by Debussy or Tchaikovsky.

Ukraine needs mobile units capable of launching multiple rockets simultaneously and must have equivalent weapons against Russian firing, the Ukrainian Foreign Minister stressed in Davos on Wednesday.

“The war for the Donbass is very similar to the wars of World War II,” Dmytro Kuleba told reporters after a series of talks with government officials and business leaders in Davos.

He explained that in this part of Ukraine “some villages and towns are no more”, which has experienced serious bombings in recent days. “They were shot down by Russian artillery and several Russian rocket launchers.”