On the 66th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on April 30, Sweden announced the strengthening of its military infrastructure on the island of Gotland. While the Pentagon mentioned not having considered such cruelty from the Russian army and Vladimir Putin before the war.
► Moscow blocked the RFI website, which broadcasts information in fifteen languages including Russian. An alternative URL address allows access to the site in French and in Russian. RFI in Russian is also available on Telegram: https://t.me/RFI_Ru via a VPN and in Russia in French via satellite on Hotbird.
► The site of the Russian editorial staff of RFI broadcasts Ukrainian public radio (in Ukrainian language) from the home page.
The main points:
► The Swedish government said on Friday that it had set aside $163 million to strengthen its military infrastructure on the island of Gotland, in a context of heightened tensions with neighboring Russia.
► UK will soon send a team of experts to help Ukrainian and international investigators in their investigations into the atrocities committed since the Russian invasion, announced Friday the Minister of Foreign Affairs visiting the Netherlands.
► Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Friday that there is a big risk that the peace talks with Moscow will end. “ People (Ukrainians) want to kill them. When that kind of attitude exists, it’s hard to talk about things he told Polish journalists.
► According to UNHCR, as of April 28, 5,429,739 Ukrainians left their country since the start of the Russian invasion, 56,885 more than the previous day’s figure. Women and children represent 90% of these refugees, men aged 18 to 60, likely to be mobilized, not having the right to leave.
Times are given in Universal Time (UT)
4:48 am: The Australian Olympic Committee announces support for Ukrainian athletes wishing to settle in Australia
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) will support Ukrainian athletes seeking to relocate to Australia on humanitarian grounds amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, outgoing AOC President John Coates said on Saturday.
“ Today I announced that the AOC Executive has determined that the AOC will support humanitarian visa applications for Ukrainian athletes. said John Coates, who is also vice-president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
4:36 a.m .: Russia calls on NATO to stop arming Ukraine
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov urged NATO and the United States to stop delivering arms to kyiv if they are really interested in resolving the Ukrainian crisis in an interview published by the official agency new china. He also claimed that the Russian offensive in Ukraine is taking place “ according to plans “.
4:25 a.m .: The Pentagon discusses the brutality and cruelty of the Russian invasion of Ukraine
Pentagon spokesman John Kirby on Friday accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of depravity and brutality during his two-month invasion of Ukraine. “It’s the coldest, most depraved brutality,” Kirby told reporters.
I don’t think we fully appreciated the degree to which he would visit this kind of violence and cruelty and, as I said, depravity, on innocent people, on non-combatants, on civilians, with such utter disregard for the lives he took.
04:00: Ukrainian authorities believe they can cope with fuel shortages
Ukraine will soon come to fuel shortages, even though Russian forces have damaged a number of oil depots, President Volodymyr Zelensky argued Friday evening. This week, Russia struck Ukraine’s main fuel producer, the Kremenchuk Oil Refinery, as well as several other major deposits.
” Queues and rising prices at gas stations are observed in many parts of our country said Volodymyr Zelensky in a nightly video address. ” The occupants deliberately destroy the fuel production, supply and storage infrastructure. » « Russia has also blocked our ports, so there are no immediate solutions to fill the gap “, he added. “ But government officials promise that within a week, maximum two, a fuel supply system to Ukraine will be in place to avoid shortages. »
In a statement, Economy Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the shortages would be eliminated within a week as Ukrainian operators had won contracts with European suppliers.