Moscow accuses Ukraine of an attack on Russian soil

Moscow on Friday denounced a Ukrainian strike on Russian soil, while Kyiv refuses to confirm the attack, suggesting instead “sabotage”. Russia has warned that such an event would weigh on negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.

Florence Morin Martel
The Press

Ukraine carried out an attack on Russian soil by helicopter, according to Moscow

Russia has accused the Ukrainian military of hitting a fuel depot in the town of Belgorod, about 40 kilometers from the Ukrainian border. Kyiv refused to confirm these allegations, without denying them, suggesting that it was “sabotage”. Because of this event, the spokesman of the Kremlin, Dmitri Peskov, brandished the threat of a hardening of the negotiations between the two countries. “It’s not something that can be seen as creating comfortable conditions for the talks to continue,” he said.

Moscow and Kyiv have resumed talks

On Friday, negotiations between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations aimed at ending the conflict resumed by videoconference, according to Kremlin negotiator Vladimir Medinsky. Moscow’s positions have not changed on Crimea, annexed by Russia in 2014, and Donbass, a region partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists, he said. For its part, Ukraine is still awaiting a “real response” to its proposal made earlier this week in Turkey. Kyiv proposed his country’s neutrality and renunciation of NATO, on condition that other countries guarantee its security against Russia.

Humanitarian corridors in Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions

Humanitarian corridors in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia regions have “saved 6,266 people, including 3,071 from Mariupol”, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky announced in a video. More than 30 buses carrying displaced people from the besieged port city of Mariupol in southern Ukraine arrived in Zaporizhia on Friday evening. It is unclear, however, whether Mr. Zelensky was referring to these same civilians in the video. These residents were picked up by the convoy in the town of Berdyansk, occupied by Russian forces, where they first went.

Russians probably irradiated in Chernobyl

Russian soldiers likely exposed themselves to radiation, including while digging trenches at Chernobyl, Ukraine authorities have said. The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, said he could not confirm this information. Due to the movement of vehicles during the withdrawal of Russian troops, localized increases in radiation may have occurred, Grossi said. However, the Ukrainian nuclear power plant would not have suffered any damage during its occupation by the Russian army.

Partial withdrawal of Russian forces and mines left behind

In the northern Kyiv region, towards the border with Belarus, Russian forces have continued their partial withdrawal, according to Ukrainian authorities. In this region, south of Chernihiv, the villages of Sloboda and Lukashivka were taken over by Ukrainian troops. Volodymyr Zelensky said the Russian forces left behind “a complete disaster”. He urged people to beware of Russian bombings and landmines.

UN calls for ceasefire in Ukraine

UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Martin Griffiths is due to travel to Russia on Sunday to try to secure a “humanitarian ceasefire”. He will then set sail for Kyiv, announced UN Secretary General António Guterres.

$300 million more military aid to Ukraine

The Pentagon will provide up to $300 million more in military aid to Ukraine, US Department of Defense spokesman John Kirby announced. This will notably include laser-guided missile systems, Switchblade “kamikaze” drones as well as light Puma-type drones.

A ballet in support of Russian forces at the Bolshoi Theater

In Moscow, the Bolshoi Theater announced the holding of a “heroic” ballet this Saturday, in support of the Russian military operation in Ukraine. Proceeds from the show will be donated to the families of Russian soldiers killed since the start of the war. Ballet Spartacus by Aram Khachaturian, directed by Yuri Grigorovich, will launch a major charity campaign by the Russian Ministry of Culture. This fundraising operation is intended to support the army.

With Agence France-Presse