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Moscow is stepping up its military operation in the east in this 42and day of war in Ukraine, as thousands of people leave the Donbass region.
Here are the latest developments, minute by minute
12:52 | Briton suspected of spying for Moscow in Berlin extradited to UK
A former security guard at the British embassy in Berlin accused of spying for Russia was extradited to the UK on Wednesday and is due to appear in court on Thursday, prosecutors and police said.
12:37 | Ukraine: sustained bombardments on Severodonetsk, in the Donbass
Severodonetsk, the easternmost city held by the Ukrainian army, was the target of sustained shelling on Wednesday, an AFP team saw a burning building, while few civilians were visible in the streets.
12:32 | Portugal to send additional military equipment to Ukraine
Portugal will “soon” send additional military equipment to Ukraine, invaded by the Russian army, its foreign minister said on Wednesday.
11:40 a.m. | Ukraine asks Prague and Bratislava to repair damaged weapons
Ukraine has asked Prague and Bratislava to help repair its military equipment damaged during the fighting against the Russian invasion, the Czech and Slovak defense ministries said on Wednesday.
11:27 am | No removal of Russian diplomats for now, says Trudeau
Canada will not follow the path traced by several European countries which recently decided to expel dozens of Russian diplomats from their territory, at least for now.
11:16 a.m. | Ukraine: London prohibits all investment in Russia, imposes sanctions in finance and energy
The United Kingdom on Wednesday tightened its sanctions imposed on Moscow following the invasion of Ukraine, banning all British investment in Russia and targeting the banking and energy sectors, as well as oligarchs.
11:07 am | New round of US sanctions against Russia
The United States on Wednesday announced a new round of economic and financial sanctions it calls “devastating” against Russia, targeting big banks and Vladimir Putin’s children, according to a White House statement.
10:59 am | Belarus: arrests for “sabotage” of railways
Belarus police announced on Wednesday that they had arrested four people suspected of “sabotage” against railway equipment in this country serving as a rear base and staging area for Russian forces fighting in Ukraine.
10:28 am | US indicts Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev for sanctions violations
Russian oligarch Konstantin Malofeev has been charged in the United States with violating US sanctions imposed after Russia invaded Ukraine, US Justice Secretary Merrick Garland announced on Wednesday.
10:26 am | Putin’s two daughters could be sanctioned by the EU
The two daughters of Vladimir Putin could be targeted by new EU sanctions currently being examined by representatives of the Twenty-Seven, we learned on Wednesday from European diplomatic sources.
9:53 am | Boucha: Putin denounces a “crude and cynical provocation” of Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday called a “gross and cynical provocation” by the Ukrainian authorities the discovery of civilian bodies in the town of Bucha after the withdrawal of forces from Moscow.
9:31 am | The war could last “months or even years”
Russian President Vladimir Putin has not given up his will to seize all of Ukraine and the war is likely to last “for months, even years”, warned Wednesday the Secretary General of NATO.
9:29 | ICRC convoy arrives in Zaporozhye with refugees from southeast
A convoy of seven buses and about 40 private vehicles under the protection of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) arrived on Wednesday from southeastern Ukraine to Zaporozhye (south), noted an AFP journalist. .
READ | All the suffering of the occupied Ukrainian territories pours out in Zaporozhye
The naive drawing of a black cat with green eyes is accompanied by a wanted notice written in a childish hand: “If you find my cat Myka, notify the psychologist”.
9:10 a.m. | Kyiv calls on residents of eastern Ukraine to evacuate “now”, as Russia steps up its military operation in this sector of the country.
Kyiv on Wednesday called on residents of eastern Ukraine to evacuate the region “now”, amid fears of a major offensive by the Russian army on the Donbass, now a priority target of the Kremlin.
9:08 am | UN General Assembly votes on Thursday on Russia’s suspension from the Human Rights Council
The UN General Assembly will vote on Thursday on a Western demand for Russia to be suspended from the Human Rights Council over the invasion of Ukraine, the body’s presidency announced on Wednesday. head of the United Nations.
8:56 am | The Italian villa of a Russian oligarch targeted by an attempted fire
The Italian villa of a Russian oligarch, Vladimir Soloviev, a TV presenter close to Vladimir Putin, was targeted on Wednesday by an alleged arson attack, local authorities said.
8:45 am | Hungarian leader Orban spoke to Putin for ‘immediate ceasefire’
AFP
Vladimir Putin and Viktor Orban in 2019.
Hungarian nationalist Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Wednesday that he had met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, to whom he is close, and offered him a meeting with Ukrainian, French and German leaders.
8:42 am | Boutcha: Berlin judges Russian denial not “tenable” with satellite images
The Russian position according to which the corpses found in the Ukrainian city of Boutcha would be staged is “not tenable” in view of the satellite images which have been broadcast, the German government estimated on Wednesday.
8:31 am | Russia’s economy begins to crack under the weight of sanctions
Risk of default, collapse of the automotive sector, inflation … After weeks of increasingly harsh sanctions, the Russian economy is starting to crack, according to data published on Wednesday.
READ | In eastern Ukraine, a last bridge for the Donbass
In eastern Ukraine, a national road cutting through the rolling plain is shaping up to be one of the main battlegrounds for the impending Russian offensive in the Donbass.
READ | Steven, the Vietnam veteran who wants to fight the Russians in Odessa
Just before leaving New York, Steven Straub had the Ukrainian flag tattooed with the message FREE UKRAINE on his left arm. The American, a veteran of the Vietnam War, now wants to fight in Odessa against the Russians.
7:49 | Boutcha: India, “deeply troubled”, supports an independent investigation
India is “deeply disturbed” by the “killings” of civilians in the Ukrainian town of Boutcha and supports the principle of an independent investigation, Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar said Wednesday before the Indian parliament.
7:27 am | China censors film about Ukraine, Switzerland protests
The film evokes the Maidan revolt in Kyiv in 2013, visibly a red line for Beijing in the midst of the war in Ukraine. Olgawhich was to be screened in China, has been removed from the poster, the Swiss embassy in Beijing said on Wednesday.
7:13 am | Civilian deaths in Boutcha ‘do not seem remote from genocide’, says Boris Johnson
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said on Wednesday that the civilian deaths in Boutcha and elsewhere in Ukraine, attributed to the Russian army, “do not seem far from genocide”.
6:56 | Do without Russian energy in Europe? Easier for coal than for gas
The Europeans are preparing to include coal in the sanctions against Russia. But if it seems relatively easy for the European Union to do without it, as well as oil, putting an end to gas purchases is a more delicate subject.
6:55 am | Romania: a driver sets himself on fire after driving into the Russian embassy
A man died on Wednesday at dawn after crashing his vehicle into the gate of the Russian Embassy in Bucharest before setting himself on fire, Romanian police said.
6:48 | Continuous shelling of Severodonetsk in the east
Shells and rockets fell on Wednesday at regular intervals on the industrial city of Severodonetsk, in eastern Ukraine, AFP journalists noted at midday.
6:43 am | Default risk: Russia announces that it has settled a dollar debt in rubles
The Russian Finance Ministry announced on Wednesday that it had settled a debt in dollars in rubles following the refusal of a foreign bank to make the payment in dollars, which exposes it to a risk of default.
6:19 am | Boutcha: China conjures up ‘deeply disturbing’ images
China spoke on Wednesday of “deeply disturbing” images after the discovery of corpses in the city of Boutcha in Ukraine, while refusing to incriminate Russia.
READ | Suspicious envelopes at the Russian consulate in Montreal
The Russian Consulate in Montreal was recently targeted by two suspicious packages and even had to resort to equipment used against biochemical threats, our Bureau of Investigation has learned.
4h55 | Boutcha: Pope castigates “ever more horrible cruelty” including against “civilians”
Pope Francis on Wednesday castigated the “increasingly horrible cruelty” that strikes in Ukraine “including against civilians”, in reference to the “massacre of Boutcha”, before kissing a Ukrainian flag from this “martyred city”.
4h35 | EU will have to impose sanctions on Russian oil and gas ‘sooner or later’
The European Union will have to take sanctions “sooner or later” on Russian oil and gas, European Council President Charles Michel said on Wednesday, denouncing the “crimes against humanity” perpetrated in Boutcha “and many other cities ” in Ukraine.
3h51 | Sanctions against Russia: the Netherlands immobilizes 14 yachts
Dutch customs authorities have detained 14 yachts in shipyards, including 12 under construction and two in maintenance, which are targeted by sanctions against Russia, the foreign minister said on Wednesday.
3h28 | Turkey calls for an investigation into Boutcha’s corpses
Turkey on Wednesday called for an independent investigation into the bodies found in the Ukrainian town of Boutcha, northwest of Kyiv, after the departure of Russian troops, joining global outrage.
WAR NOTEBOOK | After the horror, the wait
Still reeling from the images of the Boutcha massacre, many leaders denounced Russia. Once again, we promise to do more and better to stifle the economy of the invader.
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