After almost eight months of conflict, the first Russian soldiers of the joint military force between Minsk and Moscow arrived in Belarus on Saturday October 15. Elon Musk meanwhile made an about-face on his Starlink project in Ukraine, which he planned to stop funding before changing his mind. Franceinfo takes stock of the day’s news on the the war in Ukraine.
Eleven dead in shooting at Russian military ground
At least 11 people died on Saturday and 15 others were injured in a shootout at Russian military ground in the Belgorod region bordering Ukraine, the Russian Defense Ministry said, calling the incident “attack”.
“While conducting shooting training with people who had volunteered to take part in the special military operation (in Ukraine), the terrorists opened fire with automatic weapons on the members of the unit “, continues the ministry. On September 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a “partial” military mobilization in Russia to send soldiers to fight in Ukraine, after setbacks by the Russian army on the front.
Iran denies supplying arms to Moscow for ‘use’ against kyiv
Iran has again denied supplying Russia with weapons for use in Ukraine, as kyiv and its Western allies accuse Moscow of using Iranian-made drones in attacks on Ukraine in recent weeks . The subject is expected to be discussed Monday at a meeting of European Union (EU) foreign ministers in Luxembourg.
The first Russian soldiers arrived in Belarus
The first Russian soldiers of the new military grouping between Moscow and Minsk have arrived in Belarus. “The first trains of Russian soldiers composing the regional military grouping have arrived in Belarus”, the Belarusian Ministry of Defense said in a statement on Saturday, without specifying the number of Russian soldiers deployed in this framework. This force, whose creation was announced this week, is supposed to defend the country’s borders against a Ukrainian threat.
Elon Musk will continue to fund Starlink in Ukraine
Elon Musk backtracks. The boss of SpaceX announced in the evening that he would continue to finance the Starlink internet network in Ukraine, returning to his calls the day before to the American government to take over.
“Never mind…even if Starlink still loses money and other companies receive billions of taxpayer dollars, we will continue to fund the Ukrainian government”tweeted the richest man in the world.
Polish NGOs Hold Mock Referendum on Russian Embassy ‘Annexation’
Several Polish NGOs organized a fictitious referendum on the“annexation” of the Russian Embassy in Warsaw to protest in a humorous way against the attitude of Vladimir Putin. “Annexations are in fashion this season. The Russians have ‘annexed’ occupied territories in Ukraine”explained the organizers of this “consultation” in a press release.
“We have decided to follow this path and hold a referendum on the annexation of the Russian Embassy… in Warsaw”, they continued. These NGOs also referred to a viral joke on social media in which the Czechs are offered to take over the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad. In total, some 3,000 people, according to the organizers, took part in this fictitious referendum in Warsaw.