UKRAINE. On the 50th day of the war in Ukraine, this Thursday, April 14, 2022, the Russian army suffered a major disappointment, the cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, having been “severely damaged” by an explosion of ammunition according to Moscow, and by missile strikes according to Ukraine…
[Mis à jour le 14 avril 2022 à 11h42] The war in Ukraine enters its 50th day this Thursday, April 14, 2022. Since the redeployment of Russian forces began at the end of March, the conflict has very visibly moved to the east of the country and to the coasts of the Sea of Azov, in the south . The bastion of Mariupol, already bruised by weeks of siege and which has tens of thousands of dead according to the Ukrainian authorities, has been the subject of intense fighting for a few days and could fall imminently according to the American intelligence services. Ukraine has also been warning for a few days that a final major offensive is being prepared in Donbass, a separatist region where pro-Russians have been demanding independence for several years. This attack would also be imminent.
Among the latest major news stories of the past 24 hours on the war in Ukraine, Russia has suffered one of its biggest material setbacks since the start of the invasion, AFP noted on Thursday morning. The cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Black Sea Fleet was “severely damaged” by an explosion of ammunition according to Moscow. Ukraine, for its part, claimed that the ship had been hit by missile strikes. The latest news on the war in Ukraine.
- A Russian ship was “severely damaged” in the last few hours. The cruiser Moskva, flagship of the Russian fleet in the Black Sea suffered heavy damage, as indicated by the Russian and Ukrainian authorities. The first evoke “a fire” and the explosion of ammunition on board which required the evacuation of the crew. But the Ukrainian authorities, through the voice of the Ukrainian governor of the Odessa region (south) affirm for their part that the Moskva was hit by Neptune missiles.
- In Mariupol, Russian forces are keeping up their pressure and Ukrainian soldiers are desperately trying to defend the strategic port city, amid destruction, AFP reported yesterday. The agency writes that “the noose is tightening on the last Ukrainian troops defending Mariupol, besieged for more than 40 days by the Russian army, largely destroyed and where the humanitarian situation is dramatic”. It is now a question of “street fights” which would take place “day and night”. Russia announced on Wednesday the surrender of more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers in the area. The Ukrainian authorities deplore for their part between 20 and 22,000 deaths in the city and “90% of houses” destroyed. The capture of Mariupol in the southeast, which now seems imminent, would allow the Russians to consolidate their territorial gains on the coastal strip along the Sea of Azov by linking the regions of Donbass to the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Moscow in 2014.
- In the Donbass, the war in Ukraine is also expected to intensify. Moscow has made the conquest of this border area of Russia its priority objective. kyiv has announced that it expects a major offensive in the short term. “According to our information, the enemy has almost completed its preparation for an assault on the east. The attack will take place very soon,” warned Ukrainian Defense Ministry spokesman Oleksandre Motouzianik; quoted by AFP.
- In Kyiv, life gradually resumes after the Russian withdrawal. On Tuesday, President Zelensky denounced “hundreds of cases of rape” observed according to him in the areas previously occupied by Putin’s army. “Almost daily, we find new mass graves”, also declared the Ukrainian head of state, who assures that “we continue to find bodies in the sewers and cellars”. The word “genocide” so far used by Zelensky was taken up by US President Joe Biden in the last hours.
- American missiles are going to be massively delivered to Ukraine. From Washington, US President Joe Biden promised his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky new military aid of $800 million, “including heavy equipment that the United States has so far been reluctant to deliver to kyiv for fear of to further escalate their tensions with Moscow and to be considered a party to the war,” AFP said. The White House seems to abandon the distinction it made between the delivery of “defensive” equipment, which it authorized, and “offensive”, which it refused so far, analyzes the agency.
Since the start of the conflict, maps have played a key role in understanding the Russian military operation and in monitoring the situation in Ukraine live. Several press agencies, but also specialized institutes and French, Ukrainian and international media, offer maps and graphics updated daily. Some of these cards offer real-time tracking of the latest events, others focus on the major events of the last 24 hours.