At least four people were killed Thursday in Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine, according to the regional governor, after a series of Russian strikes on this capital of a region targeted by a ground assault from Russia. In the Zaporizhia region (South), a 74-year-old civilian was killed by an artillery strike while he was working in the courtyard of his house in the village of Mala Tokmatchka, according to the governor of this territory Ivan Fedorov .
In Kharkiv, “according to preliminary data, four people were killed” and two are missing, Governor Oleg Synegoubov said on Telegram.
Information to remember
⇒ A senior Russian general staff official arrested for corruption
⇒11,000 people evacuated from the Kharkiv region
⇒ Beijing provides “lethal aid” to Russia, accuses London
Senior Russian General Staff official arrested for corruption
A senior Russian General Staff official has been detained for corruption, Russian media reported Thursday, as arrests of generals increase in Russia following the change of Defense Minister. Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of communications, General Vadim Chamarine was placed in pre-trial detention for two months by a military court on Wednesday, Russian media reported.
He is accused of having “accepted a particularly large bribe” in this defense sector undermined by corruption scandals for many years. He faces up to 15 years in prison if convicted.
Since the end of April, at least two senior officials of the Russian army, Timur Ivanov and Yuri Kuznetsov, have been arrested for corruption and the Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, has himself been replaced by an economist, Andreï Beloussov.
The Kremlin denied Thursday that a “campaign” of purges targeting army officials is underway, after a new resounding arrest of a high-ranking military officer for corruption. “The fight against corruption is continuous work, it is not a campaign” of purges, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitri Peskov assured the press. “This is part of the action of our law enforcement,” he added, assuring that “this is in no way an organized campaign.”
11,000 people evacuated from the Kharkiv region
Nearly 11,000 people have been forced to leave their homes in the Kharkiv region, in northeastern Ukraine, since the Russian ground offensive launched on May 10 in this border area, its governor said Thursday. “A total of 10,980 people were evacuated,” Oleg Synegubov, the governor of the Kharkiv region, said on Telegram messaging.
Thousands of people fled their homes as the Russian army quickly captured several border villages at the start of its surprise offensive in the directions of Lyptsi and Vovchansk, forcing kyiv to rush reinforcements. “The fighting continues” in the region of Vovtchansk, a town which had some 18,000 inhabitants before the war and located just five kilometers from the border, the general staff said. “Our defenders are putting up a good response,” the statement added.
Norway closes its border to Russian tourists
Norway announced on Thursday the upcoming closure of its border to Russian tourists, depriving them of the last direct access point into the Schengen area. The Scandinavian country, which shares a 198 km land border with Russia in the Arctic, is following in the footsteps of the European Union – of which it is not a member – which had taken a similar measure in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“The decision to tighten entry rules is in line with Norway’s approach of standing with its allies and partners in response to Russia’s illegal war of aggression against Ukraine,” the minister said. of Justice, Emilie Enger Mehl, in a press release.
Beijing provides “lethal aid” to Russia, accuses London
China is currently providing “lethal aid” to Russia for use in its war against Ukraine, British Defense Minister Grant Shapps denounced on Wednesday. “We have evidence that Russia and China are collaborating on the development of combat equipment for use in Ukraine,” he said in a speech at the London Defense Conference.
“US and UK defense intelligence are able to reveal that lethal aid is currently being transported from China to Russia and Ukraine,” he said.
Ukraine orders first releases of detainees to fight in army
A Ukrainian court on Wednesday ordered the release of the first detainees who volunteered to fight in the army, under a new law aimed at mobilizing more soldiers to fight the Russian invasion. According to the Ukrainian authorities, more than 3,000 detainees have expressed a willingness to join the army in exchange for release.
A court in the western town of Khmelnytsky said it approved on Tuesday the release of two of them, a man born in 2000 and another in 1981, both convicted of theft, to join the Ukrainian National Guard.