Moscow accusing Ukraine of executing Russian prisoners of war, half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure damaged, Poland refusing entry to the Russian delegation to the OSCE ministerial meeting on its soil… Le Figaro This Friday, November 18, provides an update on the conflict in Ukraine.
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Almost half of Ukraine’s energy infrastructure was damaged by Russian strikes
“Almost half of our energy system is disabled.”The Prime Minister of Ukraine Denis Shmygal expressed his regret during the press conference held in Kyiv with the Vice President of the European Commission Valdis Dombrovskis. So he insisted “Additional support” The EU, in particular, has to deal with this situation “for the acquisition of additional volumes of gas”. Many Ukrainians are facing the start of winter with little or no electricity and no hot water as the first snow of the winter fell across the country on Thursday. “Several hour restrictions are introduced throughout Ukraine.”National electricity operator Ukrenergo said Friday after President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday evening that: “ten million Ukrainians”. were still without electricity.
” SEE ALSO – Ukraine. Russian strikes damaged “almost half” of the power system.
Moscow accuses Ukraine of executing more than 10 Russian prisoners
Russia accused Ukraine on Friday “war crime”believing that Kiev’s troops executed him “cruelly” more than ten of his soldiers who had just surrendered to Ukrainian forces. “No one can present as a ‘tragic exception’ the deliberate and methodical killing of more than 10 Russian soldiers who were immobilized (…) by direct shots to the head.”– the press release of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation noted. This accusation was made after two thirty-second videos of the execution of Russian soldiers by Ukrainian soldiers were published on social networks. Kyiv had not responded to these accusations by afternoon.
Zelensky denies the idea of a “short ceasefire”.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi denied A “short truce” with Russia, claiming that it will only worsen the situation. “Russia is now looking for a short truce, calm to regain strength. This may be seen as the end of the war, but such a delay will only make matters worse.“, the leader of Ukraine said during a speech broadcast during the international security forum in Halifax, Canada. “Truly real, lasting and honest peace can only come from the complete destruction of Russian aggression.”he added.
Lavrov is persona non grata at the OSCE annual meeting in Poland
Poland, which is hosting the OSCE ministerial meeting in early December, has denied Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov entry to its territory, the organization’s presidency told AFP on Friday. “We expect that the Russian Federation will choose the members of its delegation in accordance with the current regulations”One source of this rotating annual presidency, currently held by Warsaw. According to him, the Russian delegation should not “Includes European Union (EU) sanctions following Russia’s illegal aggression against Ukraine on February 24, including Minister Lavrov.”
” SEE ALSO – A rocket fell in Poland. Warsaw considers it “very likely” that it is a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile.
Fortifications in annexed Crimea, re-opening of Kyiv-Kherson train
After the Ukrainian army recaptured part of the Kherson region last week, Kiev and Moscow appear keen to consolidate their positions as winter approaches. Russia has said it is building fortifications in the annexed Crimean peninsula, while the Russian military withdrawal from Kherson has allowed Ukrainians to bring their weapons closer to the region, which has already been targeted several times in recent months. “Fortification works are being carried out under my supervision in the territory of Crimea in order to guarantee the safety of the residents of Crimea.”, said Moscow-appointed governor Sergey Aksyonov. After its annexation in 2014, Moscow considers Crimea a part of its territory, which is not recognized by the international community. Kiev has repeated several times in recent months, wanting to recapture the peninsula.
The National Railway Company of Ukraine, in turn, announced the reopening of the train line between the capital city of Kyiv and the city of Kherson, symbolizing a week after the liberation. “Today we launch our first train from Kyiv to Kherson”Natalya Turchak, representative of Ukrzaliznytsia, told AFP. The trip is scheduled “From the capital at 22:14 (20:14 GMT) and will arrive in Kherson around 09:00 (07:00 GMT) tomorrow.”with “About 200 passengers on the plane (…)Local official Sergui Khlan was happy on Facebook. “At the moment it’s just one train. Then we will see if it will become a regular line.” From the railway network of Ukraine, Natalya Turchak said.
Nord Stream. Sweden approves gas pipeline sabotage
The explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines built to transport Russian gas to Europe in the Baltic Sea in September are part of sabotage, the prosecutor in charge of the preliminary investigation in Sweden announced on Friday. “Analyses show traces of explosive materials on some of the foreign objects found”said in the statement of the prosecutor Mats Ljungqvist. “The continuation of the preliminary investigation may indicate whether someone can be prosecuted for the crime.”added the prosecution.
At the end of September, four huge gas leaks were discovered in gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany, all in international waters. Two, however, are in Sweden’s economic zone, two in Denmark’s. Preliminary underwater investigations have strengthened suspicions of sabotage, as investigators say the leak was preceded by explosions. At the end of October, the “North Stream” consortium, whose main shareholder is the Russian “Gazprom”, sent a Russian-flagged civilian ship to carry out an inspection in the Swedish zone. In November, Nord Stream also received permission to inspect gas pipelines on the territory of Denmark, where another investigation is underway.
” SEE ALSO – The Nordstream 2 gas pipeline was “sabotaged”, the Swedish prosecutor claims
NATO condemns “dangerous” overflight of its ships in the Baltic Sea by Russian fighter jets
Two Russian fighter jets “Dangerous and unprofessional approach”. NATO ships were sailing for a routine operation in the Baltic Sea earlier in the week, the Atlantic alliance said on Friday. The incident took place on Tuesday morning when two Russian planes approached these ships “300 feet high (91 meters) and 80 yards away (73 meters)» NATO Naval Command reported that without pilots responding to communications. “NATO deemed the interaction unsafe and unprofessional because it was conducted in a known danger zone that had been activated for air defense training, as well as because of the altitude and proximity of the aircraft.”says the press release. “Interaction increased the risk of miscalculations, mistakes and accidents.”
The incident comes amid heightened tensions between NATO and Russia over Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine in February. Fears of a clash between the two sides intensified this week after a missile killed two people in Poland, in neighboring Ukraine. Warsaw is a member of NATO.
More than 100 Ukrainians went missing in Kherson during the Russian occupation
More than 100 Ukrainians have been detained and then disappeared during the Russian occupation of the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson in what appears to be a planned campaign, according to a Yale University study published on Friday. The Conflict Observatory, a research group at Yale University’s Department of Public Health, whose work is supported by the US State Department, documented 226 extrajudicial detentions and enforced disappearances in Kherson.
Half of those imprisoned “It seems they have not been released”According to the report, which emphasizes that after the withdrawal of Russian forces from Kherson on November 11, their fate remained uncertain. A quarter of the 226 people concerned were allegedly tortured and four died in custody or shortly thereafter. According to the study, most of these operations were carried out by the Russian military and the Russian Security Services (FSB). According to the source, the arrested and missing are mostly men of military age, including civil servants, civil society figures, teachers, policemen and journalists.
Source: Le Figaro
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.