Ukraine and Russia enter the seventh month of armed conflict. Following Ukraine’s national holiday, which marks the country’s 31st anniversary of independence, diplomatic demonstrations of support have flowed one after the other towards Kiev, and tensions have flared again with Moscow.
Zaporozhye nuclear power plant is “completely disconnected” from the grid, the operator declares
The Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, the largest in Europe, is under Russian control and has been the victim of several bombings.is completely disabledafter damage to the network communication lines, on Thursday, August 25, announced the Ukrainian operator Energoatom.
Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the expansion of the Russian army
Russia’s president signed a decree on Thursday, August 25, ordering a 10% increase in the number of soldiers in the army amid an attack on Ukraine and rising tensions with the West.
The Russian attack on the railway station. According to Kiev, 25 victims, according to Moscow, 200 soldiers
As a result of the Russian bombing of the railway station in the center of Ukraine on the evening of Wednesday, August 24, the number of victims reached 25, and 31 were injured, the operator of Ukrainian trains announced on Thursday, August 25. “According to the morning information, we have 25 dead, including two children. 31 people were injured, including two children– said the company on Telegram. President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky announced this.Russian missile strikeAt the start of his video message to the UN Security Council on Wednesday night, he announced the initial 22 casualties.
The discourse on Moscow’s side is not the same. Russia announced on Thursday that it had killed “more than 200 Ukrainian soldiersin this strike. “Iskander” missileAt the Chaplin railway station in the Dnipropetrovsk region, a military train directly hit, as a result of which more than 200 servicemen of the reserve of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were killed.as well as equipment, according to the message of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. According to the Ministry of the Russian Federation, this train was “on the way to combat zonesIn the east of Ukraine, where clashes are taking place between the troops of Kiev and Moscow.
The strike took place at the Chaplin railway station in the Dnipropetrovsk region of central Ukraine. According to Vladimir Zelensky, four passenger cars were burnt. The bombing occurred as Ukraine celebrated Independence Day, which commemorates its 1991 break from the Soviet Union. It also comes as the country on Wednesday entered the seventh month of its war against Russia, which began on February 24. While most of the fighting today takes place in the eastern and southern regions of Ukraine, where neither side is making progress, Russia regularly strikes Ukrainian cities with long-range missiles.
Those responsible “must be brought to justice,” says Josep Borrell
Those responsible for Russian bombings that hit a train station and homes in Chapliny, central Ukraine.will have to accountThe head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned this Thursday. “The EU strongly condemns Russia’s brutal attacks against the civilian populationOn Wednesday, National Day in Ukraine, he tweeted:
A national holiday tinged with respect
After half a year of war, the anniversary of independence from the USSR in 1991 did not give rise to celebrations, even if the Ukrainian diaspora organized many gatherings all over the world (France, Poland, Israel, etc.). Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife paid their respects to fallen Ukrainian soldiers with a minute’s silence and laying yellow and blue flowers, the colors of the national flag, in front of a memorial in central Kiev before attending a rally at Hagia Sophia. the leaders of the main religious movements.
Ukraine admitted on Monday that around 9,000 soldiers have been killed since the conflict began, which observers say is likely an understatement. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, about 80,000 soldiers have been killed or wounded, the number three of the American Pentagon estimated at the beginning of August. Authorities in Kiev, where warning sirens sounded in the morning, banned all public gatherings there from Monday to Thursday. In the north-east, the governor of Kharkiv region announced a curfew from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning.
Ukraine will fightto the endZelensky claims
Ukraine will fightto the end“without”no concessions or compromisesWith Russia on Wednesday, President Vladimir Zelensky addressed the nation on his country’s Independence Day, which also marks six months since the Russian invasion. “We will fight (for our land) until the end“, he announced. “We have endured for six months. It’s hard, but we’ve clenched our fists and are fighting for our destiny“and”we will raise our hands in the air just once to celebrate our victory“.
“For us, Ukraine is Ukraine as a whole. All 25 counties with no concessions or compromisesHe continued, in particular, by promising to take back the Donbas basin (east), which has been in the hands of Moscow-backed separatists since 2014, and Crimea, which was annexed by Russia the same year. “Donbass is Ukraine. And we’ll get it back any way we can. Crimea is Ukraine. And we’re going to get him back that way“, hammer Vladimir Zelensky. For years, Kiev has been promoting the only diplomatic way to restore control over the territories.
New US military aid
US President Joe Biden announced nearly $3 billion in new military aid to Ukraine on Wednesday to show continued US support. “The United States of America is committed to supporting the people of Ukraine as they continue their struggle to defend their sovereignty. As part of this commitment, I am proud to announce our largest tranche of security assistance to date, approximately $2.98 billion in arms and equipment.“Joe Biden said in a press release.
“This will allow Ukraine to acquire air defense systems, artillery systems and ammunition (…) and radars to ensure that it can continue to defend itself in the long term.“, the American president added. This new tranche of aid consists exclusively of weapons ordered from the American defense industry, which will arrive in Ukraine only in a few months, even in two or three years, a high-ranking Pentagon official emphasized.
Ukraine wants to create a special international tribunal next year
Kiev plans to set up an international tribunal next year to try Russian President Vladimir Putin and those responsible for the invasion of Ukraine, a senior Ukrainian official told AFP. This plan for the creation of this tribunal, which is to decide “crime of aggressionRussia is controlled by Andriy Smirnov, the deputy chief of staff of the President of Ukraine.
“This is the only option to quickly bring to justice the criminals who started the war against Ukraine. The best, the fastest and the most efficientAndriy Smirnov claimed in an interview with AFP. “crime of aggressionsimilar to the concept of “crimes against peaceused during the Nuremberg and Tokyo trials at the end of World War II. The International Criminal Court (ICC) has already begun to investigate the crimes it has jurisdiction over (genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes), but cannot accept “crime of aggressionbecause neither Moscow nor Kyiv has ratified the Rome Statute, which established it in 2010.
The concern of the Russian referendum in Ukraine
Moscow may announce one or more referendums this week.illegalin occupied Ukraine, trying to justify the annexation of Ukrainian territories to Russia, White House spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Wednesday. “We have information that Russia continues to prepare fake referendumsin Kherson (south), Zaporizhia, separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as Kharkiv, said John Kirby, spokesman for the executive’s national security affairs.
“The Russian leadership instructed to prepare for the holding of these referendums“, he added: “In fact, we expect a Russian announcement on the first or first of these bogus polls by the end of the week.“. “The United States and the international community have made it very clear that any attempt to control the sovereign territory of Ukraine will be considered illegitimate.continued John Kirby.
Source: Le Figaro
