kyiv’s allies will meet in kyiv this Thursday, March 7, to move up a gear on measures intended to breathe new life into their support for Ukraine. The order for foreign ammunition then delivered to the Ukrainian army should be discussed, while it is suffering from shortages on the front. Emmanuel Macron confirmed on Tuesday that France would take part in this initiative, but also said he accepted his comments concerning the possibility of an intervention by Western troops in France, once again criticized by the German and American administrations.
Information to remember
⇒ Ukraine says it shot down 38 drones out of 42
⇒ The allies will meet in kyiv on Thursday March 7.
⇒ Ukraine says it destroyed a Russian warship in the Black Sea.
Yulia Navalnaïa calls for mobilization during the presidential election
Yulia Navalnaïa on Wednesday called on Russians to express their opposition to Vladimir Putin on March 17, the third and final day of the presidential election which should see the current master of the Kremlin be re-elected in the absence of real opposition candidates.
“You can vote for any candidate except Putin, you can spoil your ballot, you can write +Navalny+ in big letters,” demanded the exiled widow of opponent Alexeï Navalny, whose funeral last week in Moscow was attended by several thousand people.
Ukraine says it shot down 38 out of 42 drones
The Ukrainian Air Force said on Wednesday it had destroyed 38 drones out of 42 launched by Russia during a nighttime attack on around ten regions of Ukraine, which left at least seven injured. “The occupation forces attacked with five S-300 guided missiles […] and 42 Shahed,” the air force said, referring to Iranian-made explosive drones used by Moscow.
Russia: an oil depot on fire
An oil depot in the Russian region of Kursk, bordering Ukraine, was in flames on Wednesday following an attack by a Ukrainian drone which caused no casualties, regional governor Roman Starovoit said on Wednesday. .
“A Ukrainian drone attack in the Zheleznogorskiy district today caused a fire at a fuel and lubricants depot,” the Russian official wrote on Telegram. “A fuel tank is on fire, there are no casualties,” he added.
New meeting of allies in kyiv on Thursday
The French ministers of Foreign Affairs and the Armed Forces and their counterparts from other countries allied to Ukraine will meet on Thursday March 7 by videoconference, ten days after discussing in Paris measures to strengthen military support for Kiev, he said. we learned on Tuesday from French diplomatic sources.
The main issue of the meeting of these ministers, mainly European, is to move forward on the various measures to provide more weapons to Ukraine, in a fragile position on the ground, such as the Czech proposal aimed at purchasing some 800,000 munitions outside the European Union in order to deliver them.
Long reserved, Emmanuel Macron announced last week that France would participate in this initiative. Visiting Prague on Tuesday, he did not provide an amount, limiting himself to reiterating his support for this “extremely useful” mechanism, unlike other states such as the Netherlands, which have promised 100 million euros.
Zelensky “never asked” for reinforcement of foreign troops
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “never asked for foreign troops to fight for his country”, a White House spokesperson said on Tuesday, when asked about comments by French President Emmanuel Macron.
“There will be no American troops engaged on the ground in Ukraine. And you know what? That’s not what President Zelensky is asking for. He’s asking for tools and capabilities. He’s only ever asked for troops foreigners fighting for their country,” said National Security Council spokesman John Kirby. Tuesday, March 5 from Prague, the French president said he “accepts” his recent controversial comments on the possibility of sending Western troops to this country at war.
Critics from Germany
Emmanuel Macron’s words calling on Ukraine’s allies to “not be cowardly” do not help resolve Ukraine’s problems on the ground, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said on Tuesday. “We don’t need discussions about having more or less courage,” he said at a press conference in Stockholm with his Swedish counterpart Pal Jonson. “It doesn’t really help solve the problems we have when it comes to helping Ukraine as much as we can,” he added.
The French president “admitted” on Tuesday to having called for a “strategic surge” by evoking the possibility of sending Western troops to Ukraine, warning against the “spirit of defeat”, “which lurks”. Emmanuel Macron also estimated that Europe was entering a moment “where it is appropriate not to be cowardly”, as a warning to its Western allies.
IAEA chief on his way to Russia
The director of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Rafael Grossi left for Russia on Tuesday, where he is due to meet President Vladimir Putin and discuss the “precarious” situation at the Ukrainian nuclear power plant in Zaporizhia. “I think it is very important to maintain this high level of dialogue with both sides” of the conflict, the official said Tuesday. The head of the IAEA had already met with Vladimir Putin in October 2022 and visited Ukraine several times to meet President Volodymyr Zelensky.
ICC arrest warrant for two Russian officers
The International Criminal Court (ICC) declared on Tuesday March 5 that it had issued arrest warrants against a lieutenant general of the Russian armed forces and an admiral of the Russian navy, “Sergueï Kobylach and Viktor Sokolov, in the context of the situation in Ukraine for alleged crimes committed between at least October 10, 2022 and at least March 9, 2023.”
The two men are presumed responsible, via bombings, for having directed attacks against civilian objects, and presumed responsible for “inhumane acts” qualified as crimes against humanity. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that it “does not recognize” these arrest warrants issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Ukraine says it destroyed Russian ship in Black Sea
Ukraine claimed Tuesday that it had destroyed a Russian warship near the Crimean peninsula annexed by Russia, a new snub inflicted on Moscow in this strategic area of the Black Sea. The Ukrainian navy claimed that a “special unit” had on the night of Monday to Tuesday “destroyed the most modern Russian patrol boat, the Sergei Kotov”, “hit by Magura V5 maritime drones”.
kyiv also says it has struck an oil depot in the Russian region of Belgorod, bordering Ukraine. In recent weeks, similar attacks against oil sites have followed one another in Russia.