[EN DIRECT] 70 days of war in Ukraine: here are all the latest developments

The situation is confused on Wednesday in Mariupol, a city bombarded relentlessly for more than two months, where Ukraine speaks of “violent fighting” while Moscow denies an assault on the Azovstal steelworks, the last reduced to the hands of the forces Ukrainians in this strategic port city.

Here are the latest developments, minute by minute

TO SEE | Russian fighters filmed in ‘Z’ formation

The Russian Air Force held a dress rehearsal for its Victory Day flypast on Wednesday in Moscow’s Red Square.

12:16 | Zelensky ‘as responsible’ for war as Putin, says Lula

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva claimed that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky was “as much responsible” for the conflict in his country as his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, in an interview with the American magazine Time released Wednesday.

11:31 am | EU countries refusing Russian oil embargo ‘accomplices’ in war crimes

European Union member countries that oppose an embargo on Russian oil will be “complicit” in war crimes, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Wednesday.

11:26 am | Biden says he will discuss with G7 possible ‘additional’ sanctions against Russia

US President Joe Biden said on Wednesday he would discuss possible “additional” sanctions against Russia this week with G7 countries.

“We are always open to additional sanctions,” he told the White House, adding, “I will be talking to G7 members this week about what we will and will not do.”

10:11 am | Russian oil: Hungary rejects EU proposal ‘in its current form’

Hungary on Wednesday rejected the proposal for a gradual European embargo on Russian oil “in its current form”, judging that such a measure would “completely destroy the energy security” of the country.

9:45 am | NATO: Finland wants membership “as soon as possible” in case of application

Finland hopes for ratification “as quickly as possible” by the 30 members of NATO, in the event of a candidacy alone or with Sweden to join the Atlantic alliance, its Prime Minister Sanna Marin said on Wednesday.

9:07 am | Russian helicopter breaches Finnish airspace ahead of NATO decision

A Russian army helicopter violated Finland’s airspace on Wednesday morning, Finland’s defense ministry said, as Helsinki prepares for a very likely NATO bid.

9:04 am | Ukraine: London deprives Russia of a range of key services

The United Kingdom announced on Wednesday that it would ban the supply of services such as accounting, advice or communication to Russia, in retaliation for the invasion of Ukraine.

8:50 am | Mariupol: “violent fighting” in Azovstal, “lost contact” with Ukrainian fighters

“Violent fighting” is underway at the Azovstal site in Mariupol, Mayor Vadim Boïtchenko said on Wednesday, moments after Moscow assured not to carry out an assault on this huge factory where Ukrainian fighters are entrenched.

7:21 am | 20 new bodies of civilians discovered in the Kyiv region

Twenty new civilian bodies have been discovered in the past 24 hours in the Kyiv region, partly occupied for several weeks by Russian forces, Ukrainian police announced on Wednesday, for a cumulative total of 1,235 civilian bodies found so far. stadium.

7:15 am | Russia plans May 9 military parade in Mariupol, Ukrainian intelligence says

Russia is planning a military parade in the long-besieged port of Mariupol for May 9, the day Moscow celebrates victory over Nazi Germany, Ukrainian intelligence said on Wednesday.

7:01 am | EU embargo on Russia: possible oil supply ‘disruptions’

Germany could experience “disruptions” in its oil supply, the German economy minister warned on Wednesday, following the EU’s desire to gradually ban its imports of Russian oil.

READ | Fired due to invasion of Ukraine

About 40 workers at French billionaire Vincent Bolloré’s Blue Solutions battery factory have just lost their jobs due to the war in Ukraine, learned The newspaper.

WAR NOTEBOOK | New assault on Mariupol

There had barely been time to rejoice in the successful evacuation of 101 civilians trapped for weeks in the Ukrainian industrial complex of Azovstal, when a new assault was led by Russian troops.

6:41 am | The Russian army does not carry out an assault on Azovstal in Mariupol, assures the Kremlin

The Kremlin on Wednesday denied that Russian forces had launched an assault on the Azovstal steelworks, the last redoubt controlled by Ukrainian forces in the port city of Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.

6:17 am | The European Union is preparing an oil embargo, Moscow strikes as far as western Ukraine

The European Commission has proposed a phased EU embargo on oil and petroleum products purchased from Russia in retaliation for the war in Ukraine as the Russian military strikes sites in the far west of the country on Wednesday. country.

6:01 am | Russia denies its territory to the Japanese Prime Minister

Russia on Wednesday banned access to its territory to more than sixty Japanese officials, including Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, in retaliation for sanctions imposed by Japan against Moscow for its offensive in Ukraine.

5:46 | Brussels proposes to sanction the head of the Russian Orthodox Church

The European Commission is proposing to sanction the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, Patriarch Kirill, as part of a sixth package of measures in response to the war in Ukraine, according to a document seen by AFP on Wednesday.

5:25 am | EU to ‘significantly increase’ military support for Moldova

The European Union will “considerably increase” its military support for Moldova, European Council President Charles Michel announced on Wednesday, after attacks in a pro-Russian separatist region of this country bordering Ukraine raising fears of destabilization.

3h31 | Belarus, bordering Ukraine, announces a surprise military exercise

Belarus, a country allied with Russia and bordering Ukraine, launched a “surprise” military exercise on Wednesday to test the response capabilities of its army, the Ministry of Defense said.

READ | Rape as a weapon of war

“Just before his invasion of Ukraine, Putin commented on Kyiv’s refusal of the Minsk agreement thus: “Whether you like it or not, my beauty, you must endure it”, a rhyme from the disgusting song of a Soviet-era punk rock band about rape. It was prescient.” The chronicle of Normand Lester.

READ | Zelensky doesn’t need a visit

“The most recent whirlwind visit to Ukraine was that of Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the United States House of Representatives, accompanied by a few parliamentarians. This visit took place a few days after the Russian bombardment of buildings in Kyiv, while the Secretary General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, was in the Ukrainian capital. The chronicle of Yasmine Abdelfadel.