strike on building in Kyiv kills at least two, emergency services say

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09:23 : Marlène Schiappa, Minister for Citizenship, announces that 15,000 people “displaced” arrived in France. “We have created, at the instigation of France, a European temporary protection status which is being put in place immediately. (…) This is the first time that this has been put in place. This will allow them to return to Ukraine to those who want to return to Ukraine”she pointed out.

09:24 : It’s a little past 9 a.m., here are the main headlines:

• A strike on a residential building killed at least two people in Kyiv, according to the emergency services. They claim to have been able to save 27 people. Follow the situation in our live as a new day of talks is set to open.

• The government announced yesterday the unfreezing of the index point for civil servants. “It is not an electoral decision, but an economic one”defends Minister Amélie de Montchalin on franceinfo.

• China says it has registered 5,280 new cases of Covid-19. This figure has never been so high since the very first epidemic wave at the beginning of 2020. It is also more than double the figure announced yesterday.

• Tarn and Haute-Garonne are placed on orange alert due to the risks associated with high winds.

08:32 : “China is not a party to the crisis. [ukrainienne] and even less wants to be affected by the sanctions.”

This was stated by the head of Chinese diplomacy during a telephone interview with his Spanish counterpart José Manuel Albares.

8:25 : Here are three things to remember about the Azov Regiment:

• The historical nucleus of the Azov regiment is associated with a radical extreme right of neo-Nazi affiliation which defends theses on “the white race”analysis for franceinfo Masha Cerovic, lecturer at EHESS and member of the Center for Studies of the Russian, Caucasian and Central European Worlds (Cercec).

• The founder of the Azov regiment, Andriy Biletsky, was a deputy of the Ukrainian parliament between 2014 and 2019.

• The Azov regiment, which evolves mainly in the Donbass region (eastern Ukraine) has between 3,500 and 4,000 men. This represents less than 2% of the total strength of the Ukrainian army.

09:26 : Vladimir Putin presents the invasion of Ukraine as a “special operation” for “denazify” the country. A Ukrainian military unit with a sulphurous reputation, the Azov regiment, is used as a symbolic enemy by the Russian camp. On social networks, the images of its fighters wearing symbols evoking Nazism are shared in number, in particular by pro-Russian Internet users. We tell you more about this regiment in our article.

(EVGENIYA MAKSYMOVA / AFP)

09:26 : New Zealand will issue 4,000 special visas to Ukrainian refugees if they have family there. Immigration Minister Kris Faafoi talks about a “two-year visa intended to help people (…) to take shelter here in the hope of being able to return home when the war ends”.

07:48 : A strike against a residential building caused the death of at least two people in Kyiv, according to the emergency services. They claim to have been able to save 27 people. Here is an image of this 15-storey building, which is located in the Svyatoshin district, in the west of the Ukrainian capital.

(FRANCEINFO)

07:23 : Let’s take a detour through the kiosks. This morning, Release devotes its front page to relations between Moscow and Beijing and headlines “game disorder” from China. “Beyond the official discourse, Beijing’s neutrality is only a facade”analyzed with franceinfo Marc Julienne, China specialist at the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri).

06:32 : “I worked for Pervy Kanal for the past few years, doing propaganda for the Kremlin. I’m very ashamed of it today”producer Marina Ovsiannikova said in a video recorded shortly before her on-set gesture. “I am ashamed of having allowed lies to be broadcast on television, ashamed of having allowed the Russian people to be ‘zombified'”she added.

06:26 : Small disruption in the well-oiled mechanics of Russian state television. During the program “Vremya” (Time) of the 1st channel, a producer went behind the presenter’s back with a sign. She was arrested. https://t.co/lVGBw77qcx

07:28 : “No to war. Don’t believe the propaganda. You are being lied to here.” The sequence marked yesterday evening and risks marking the day. On the set of the program “Vremia”, the main evening news program of the most powerful Russian television channel Pervy Kanal, a woman held up a sign behind the presenter. This woman’s name is Marina Ovsiannikova. She’s a channel producer. She was arrested and her lawyers say they have not heard from her.

(EYEPRESS NEWS/AFP)

06:19 : Fighting has intensified in kyiv for several days, like everywhere in Ukraine, notably in Mariupol and Mykolaiv. On the 20th day of the Russian invasion, talks between Russia and Ukraine are due to resume today.

07:30 : At least three powerful explosions were heard this morning in the center of kyiv. Their origin is not yet known. No official source has made a statement. These detonations are sometimes caused by air defense weapons.

07:37 : Let’s do a first reminder of the main titles:

• After a day of difficult discussions, the talks between Kyiv and Moscow should resume shortly. On the ground, the fighting continues. Loud explosions were heard this morning in kyiv, the capital. Their origin is not yet known.

• China has reported 5,280 cases of Covid-19 in the past 24 hours. This figure has never been so high since the very first epidemic wave at the beginning of 2020. It is also more than double the figure announced yesterday.

• Emmanuel Macron will meet on Thursday afternoon. According to our information, the outgoing president will present his project at a press conference. It will be held at the Docks de Paris, in Aubervilliers (Seine-Saint-Denis).

• Tarn and Haute-Garonne are placed on orange alert due to the risks associated with high winds.