Follow live the latest news from the conflict in Ukraine, this Saturday, April 16, the 52nd day of the Russian invasion.
► RFI’s Russian editorial site broadcasts Ukrainian public radio (in the Ukrainian language) from the home page
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The main points:
► Russia announces that it has destroyed a weapons factory in the suburbs of kyiv and assures that the strikes on the Ukrainian capital will be intensified to respond to the attacks carried out by Ukraine on Russian territory.
► The Ukrainian president said Friday evening on CNN that between 2 500 and 3 000 Ukrainian soldiers were dead since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding that 10,000 others had been injured.
►As of April 15, more than five million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, according to figures from the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
► Moscow has blocked the RFI website, which broadcasts information in fifteen languages, including Russian. An alternative URL allows access to the site in French and Russian. RFI in Russian is also available on Telegram: https://t.me/RFI_Ru, via a VPN and in Russia in French by satellite on Hotbird.
Times are given in Universal Time (UT)
4:20 a.m .: Russia warns Washington of “consequences” following its military aid to Ukraine
Russia sent a formal complaint to the United States this week warning the US government of “ unforeseen consequences following its surge in military aid to Ukraine, according to news reports. According to this diplomatic note, Moscow warns the United States and NATO against sending weapons ” more sensitive ” to Ukraine, judging that such military equipment put ” oil on the fire » and could cause « unforeseen consequences “, reported the Washington Post.
The warning came as US President Joe Biden pledged $800 million worth of new military aid to Ukraine, including helicopters and armored personnel carriers. ” What the Russians tell us privately is precisely what we tell the world publicly, that the massive aid we provide to our Ukrainian partners is proving remarkably effective. “, indicated a senior American official, quoted by the Post.
The State Department declined to comment. According to New York Times, this note was sent through normal diplomatic channels and is not signed by a senior Russian official.
4:00 a.m.: Prime Minister and Ukrainian officials in Washington next week
Ukraine’s prime minister and officials will travel to Washington next week for the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, sources familiar with the matter said Friday evening.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmygal, Finance Minister Serhiy Marchenko and Central Bank Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko are expected to meet with, among others, financial officials from the G7 countries and participate in a roundtable on Ukraine organized by the World Bank, the sources added. The event will be the first opportunity for Ukrainian officials to meet in person with a large number of finance officials from advanced economies since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.
Fallout from the conflict in Ukraine is set to dominate senior officials’ meetings of World Bank and IMF member countries, as well as the G7 and G20, next week as the IMF prepares to revise its growth forecasts downwards. world because of the war. Thursday’s meeting will be more of a roundtable than a donors’ conference, although the IMF and World Bank have opened separate accounts to be able to process and relay donations, and new pledges are to be announced. next week.
It will also give officials the opportunity to discuss the devastation of Ukraine and the economic consequences of the war, as well as the continued functioning of the Ukrainian banking and financial sector. ” Without support now, there will be no reconstruction in the future said one of the sources. The World Bank did not immediately comment on this event.
03h50: More than 2 500 Ukrainian soldiers dead since the start of the conflict
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday evening on CNN that between 2,500 and 3,000 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the beginning of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, adding that another 10,000 had been injured.
