Poland calls for “total mobilization” – L’Express

Time is running out as Russia relaunches large-scale attacks along the 1,000 kilometer front and while the eyes of the international community have been fixed on the Middle East for two months. Volodymyr Zelenksy is going to Washington this Tuesday, December 12, to convince Congress to release new military aid. He also continues to appeal to Europe, three days before a summit of 27 concerning Ukraine’s entry into the European Union.

⇒ Tusk calls on the world to mobilize again for Ukraine.

⇒ The Kremlin denounces possible new Western aid.

⇒ The country’s first mobile operator, Kyivstar, was hacked.

Polish Prime Minister-elect Donald Tusk called on the world for “total mobilization” in favor of Ukraine in the face of the Russian offensive, during his general policy speech before a parliamentary vote of confidence. “We will demand loud and clear a total mobilization of the free world, of the West, in favor of Ukraine in this war. There is no alternative,” he declared.

Donald Tusk also promised to resolve the conflict on the border with Ukraine blocked by Polish truckers, during his general policy speech, before a parliamentary vote of confidence. “We have already found solutions to respond as quickly as possible to the needs of Polish transporters and unblock the border,” declared Donald Tusk, accusing the previous government of having “abandoned” the truck drivers who have been protesting for a month.

Any new American aid to Ukraine will constitute a “fiasco”, judged the Kremlin on Tuesday, a few hours before a meeting of the Ukrainian and American presidents on military assistance which Kiev sorely needs but which is in the hot seat. “The tens of billions of dollars injected into Ukraine have not helped it succeed on the battlefield. And the tens of billions of additional dollars that Ukraine wants to see injected will be doomed to the same fiasco,” said the door -Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov, questioned by the press about the expected meeting in Washington between Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelensky.

“We hope to be able to count on you”: the Ukrainian president launched a new appeal from Washington on Monday for the release of an envelope for his country at war, much debated in the American Congress. He is making his last-ditch plea to Congress and the president this Tuesday, while the Republicans are currently blocking the new aid of 61 billion euros demanded by Joe Biden.

Time is running out as winter approaches. Russia gave new proof on Tuesday morning of the intensification of its pressure on the front, by claiming “significant” advances in the southern region of Zaporizhia. According to the Ukrainian army, Russia is increasing attacks all along the front, some 1,000 kilometers long, and Vladimir Putin has been proud of the progress of his army in recent days.

Kiev is also waiting for the EU to continue its support for its war effort, and hopes for the release of aid of 50 billion euros in the form of donations and loans, as well as military aid of 5 billion euros. euros, for the moment both blocked by Hungary.

The services of Ukraine’s leading mobile operator, Kyivstar, were paralyzed on Tuesday by a “powerful” computer hack, the group said in a press release, while Ukraine regularly says it is the target of Russian hackers. “This morning we were the target of a powerful hacker attack. It caused a technical failure that made our mobile communication and internet access services temporarily unavailable,” Kyivstar said on Facebook.

Ukrainian scientists, whether in exile or remaining in their country, have seen their research activity drop by 20% since the Russian invasion of their country in February 2022, according to a study published Tuesday. Around 2,500 scientists responded to the questionnaire asking them about their research activities, sent by Gaétan de Rassenfosse, first author of this publication in the journal Humanities & Social Sciences Communications.

Some 18.5% of respondents fled the conflict. A figure very close to the general emigration rate of the Ukrainian refugee population in Europe – eight million people according to the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) -, underlines the study. A majority of these researchers were hosted by European scientific institutions – many in Germany and Poland – but under precarious contracts, rarely exceeding one year (only 14% of cases).