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The franceinfo Talk returns to the war in Ukraine, almost two years since the Russian invasion of the country. Sarah Calamand receives Irena Karpa, Arsène Sabanieev, Sébastien Gobert, Léo Péria-Peigné and Christine Dugoin-Clément.
On February 24, 2022, Russian troops began the invasion of Ukraine. As the two years since the start of the war approach, theUnited Nations Organization for Migration released a report on Thursday, specifying that more than 14 million people have fled Ukraine. A figure that represents almost a third of the country’s population.
Living with war for two years
Almost two years after the start of the conflict, the Ukrainian population learned to live to the rhythm of bombings. Yet, life hasn’t stopped yet since the Russian invasion. For example, the town hall of Kharkiv, a city bombed daily, opened five schools in the metro to ensure the continuity of children’s education.
Continue to resist at the front
The Russian army appears to continue to gain ground. In recent days, Russian tanks have entered in the town of Avdiivka which had 34,000 inhabitants. Almost no building was spared, the city totally devastated, “cleaning is almost finished”, says Hermes, commander of the first “Slavyansk” brigade of the Russian army. The victory at Avdiivka illustrates the difficulties of the Ukrainian army lacking soldiers and ammunition.
At the beginning of February, during the extraordinary summit in Brussels, the 27 leaders of the EU member states reached an agreement on aid worth 50 billion euros to Ukraine. kyiv thanked the European Union for its contribution to a “common victory” against Russia. Friday February 16, a new Franco-Ukrainian agreement was signed at the Élysée between Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky. A bilateral security agreement aimed at guaranteeing civil and military support to Ukraine, with France committing to providing “up to 3 billion euros“military aid”additional” in 2024.
Despite the help of Westerners, Thursday February 22, 2024, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, denounces “the terrifying human cost” of the war led by Russia. The latter indicates that the conflict is “about to enter its third year with no end in sight”. The future of the war in Ukraine therefore remains uncertain.