The specter of starvation
Two weeks after the start of the conflict, the Russian army is now pursuing a strategy of besieging and then bombing major Ukrainian cities.
In Mariupol, surrounded for several days, the specter of famine is growing. The inhabitants are deprived of electricity, water and gas. “People started fighting for food,” said a representative of the International Committee of the Red Cross on the spot.
“All stores and pharmacies were looted four or five days ago. Some people still have food, but I don’t know how long it will last, said Sasha Volkov, from Mariupol, in an audio recording sent to the media. Many have no water to drink at all […], many people say they have no food for the children. »
Attempts to evacuate hundreds of thousands of civilians have repeatedly failed, with both sides blaming each other.
Across Ukraine, around 12 million people, nearly 30% of the population, are in need of life-saving humanitarian assistance, according to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
No planes, but no more surface-to-air weapons
According to the United States, Ukraine does not really need combat aircraft to counter Russian attacks. Two days after an imbroglio on the question, American officials plan to provide this country at war with more ground-to-air defense systems.
“When we analyze the destruction sown by the Kremlin on regions of Ukraine, it is essentially due to missiles”, “to rockets”, “to artillery fire”, declared the spokesman of the American diplomacy Ned Price. “Planes are not the best placed to eliminate these weapons. »
“We will continue to provide our Ukrainian partners with ground-to-air systems,” he said. And we may be able to provide even more. »
According to him, the Ukrainian army still has “several squadrons of planes” in a state of flight.
Russia “stronger” or “weaker” after the war?
US Vice President Kamala Harris said in Warsaw on Thursday that NATO had become “stronger” and Russia “weaker” because of the war in Ukraine.
“The NATO alliance is stronger and Russia is weaker because of what [le président russe Vladimir] Putin did, it’s very clear to us, ”said Ms. Harris alongside the Polish president. We will do everything, together, in partnership, in solidarity, to provide Ukraine with what it needs in terms of security and humanitarian aid. »
Almost at the same time, Russian President Vladimir Putin addressed members of his government to praise the “adjustment” of the Russian economy in the face of Western sanctions. He hinted that his country will become stronger under duress. “We will continue to substitute imports in all areas and ultimately all of this will lead to an increase in our independence, self-sufficiency and sovereignty,” he said.
An “informal headquarters” to welcome refugees
Poland, France and Germany brought together their respective interior ministers on Thursday to create an “informal staff” to manage the large wave of refugees fleeing Russian aggression in Ukraine.
Polish Minister Mariusz Kaminski welcomed his French counterparts Gérald Darmanin and German Nancy Faeser to Korczowa, on the Ukrainian border.
“We are taking initiatives now so that war refugees from Ukraine can move freely in Europe, in a dignified, quick and painless way possible”, assured Mr. Kaminski.
The French representative, Gérald Darmanin, explained that a European humanitarian mechanism has been set in motion and has made it possible “to transport more than a hundred tonnes, already, of goods, medicines, clothing”.
“We have triggered temporary protection so that the millions of refugees from Ukraine can very quickly have protection, social assistance, access to healthcare, schooling for their children or the possibility of working,” he continued. .
More than 2.1 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine to neighboring countries so far, according to the UN.
$100 billion in damage
The war in Ukraine has caused damage estimated at 100 billion US dollars, according to Oleg Ustenko, the economic adviser to the Ukrainian president.
“Very preliminary estimates that we have made […] show that the value of the assets that we have already lost, that have been destroyed [par la Russie] is around US$100 billion,” he said in an online chat with a US-based think tank. He spoke of the important reconstruction work to come as roads, bridges and hospitals have been destroyed.
“About 50% of our businesses are no longer working and those that are still running are not at 100% capacity,” he said, noting that his country’s financial system was doing pretty well until now. here.
“The situation in terms of economic growth is going to be really very depressing, even if the war stops immediately,” he warned.
With Agence France-Presse