Russian forces have left the Chernobyl nuclear site in northern Ukraine but have taken hostages, Ukrainian officials said Thursday (March 31). This important take from the beginning of the war ended at 10 p.m. (French time). But this event is not the only one that marked the day. Franceinfo looks back on the highlights of March 31.
Russian forces left Chernobyl nuclear site with hostages, kyiv says
The Chernobyl nuclear site in northern Ukraine is no longer occupied by the Russian army. The withdrawal, which began at the end of the afternoon on Thursday, ended around 10 p.m. French time, announced the Ukrainian nuclear agency, Energoatom, on his facebook account (in Ukrainian). But the Russian troops left with hostages. According to the Ukrainian agency, these hostages are “members of the National Guard they had been holding (…) since February 24″the Ukrainian state agency said on Telegram, citing employees.
Russia will not deliver gas to Westerners who refuse to pay in rubles
Vladimir Putin will not compromise. The Russian president has reaffirmed that he will not deliver gas to Westerners who refuse to pay in rubles. A requirement that he will apply from Friday. Consequently, Germany and France to “prepare” to a potential stoppage of Russian gas imports.
“There may be a situation in which” Friday “there will be no more Russian gas”and “It’s up to us to prepare these scenarios”French Economy and Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire said during a press conference with German Economy Minister Robert Habeck.
> > We explain to you how Russia is pushing the Europeans to arm wrestle by demanding payment for gas in rubles
Uncertainty that plunged the stock markets at the end of the day, especially in Europe where economic activity is largely dependent on this source of energy. The Paris market ended in sharp decline (-1.21%), as did Frankfurt (-1.31%), and Milan (-1.10%). This is the strongest decline over the quarter, except for London, since the arrival of Covid-19 in early 2020.
Ceasefire in Mariupol not respected
“Of course it still shoots”, testifies a resident of Mariupol (video below), a Ukrainian port city bombarded by the Russians. However, Moscow had promised a ceasefire from ten o’clock Thursday morning (9 a.m. Paris time) to evacuate civilians. But the dull sound of the bombardments never stopped, according to France 2 reporters present on the spot.
The civilians were to arrive in the city of Zaporizhia, where there are hospitals, including a military one. If several hundred cars arrived at their destination, the buses which were made available to the inhabitants of Mariupol to flee remained blocked 80 km from the city, reveals our journalist special correspondent in Ukraine. Late Thursday afternoon, Moscow again announced that a humanitarian corridor will be open Friday at 10 a.m. (9 a.m. Paris time).
The bar of 4 million refugees exceeded
The number of refugees now exceeds the initial projection made by the High Commissioner for Refugees at the start of the war. A total of 4,019,287 Ukrainians, mainly women and children, have left the country to flee the war, according to the updated figure from the dedicated UNHCR website. Poland hosts the most refugees, with more than 2.3 people present in the country.
The High Commissioner for Human Rights of the United Nations, Michelle Bachelet, for her part denounced “war crimes” committed by Russia in the country.