On Friday, Switzerland announced that it would devote 100 million francs, the equivalent of 103 million euros, to mine clearance in Ukraine between 2024 and 2027.
Eleven Ukrainian drones were shot down in Russia during the night of Thursday September 28 to Friday September 29, Moscow said on Friday. At the same time, Vladimir Putin asked a former lieutenant of Yevgeni Prigojine, boss of the Wagner group who died in the crash of his plane, to train volunteers to go and fight in Ukraine. Franceinfo looks back at the highlights of the day on the front of the war in Ukraine.
Ukrainian drones shot down in Russia
“Eleven Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were destroyed by air defense systems (…) including one over the territory of the Kaluga region and ten over the Kursk region” in Russia, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Telegram on Friday. Kursk Governor Roman Starovoit previously said that the border region with eastern Ukraine had been “massively attacked” by Ukrainian drones.
In Belaïa, less than 25 kilometers from the border, “a Ukrainian drone dropped two explosive devices on an electrical substation”he added on Telegram. “One of the transformers caught fire. Five towns and a hospital were deprived of electricity. Fire crews rushed to the scene”said the governor.
Ex-Lieutenant of Prigozhin to Train Volunteers to Fight in Ukraine
Andrei Trochev, a former lieutenant of Yevgeny Prigozhin, was asked by the Kremlin to train volunteers to fight in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced Friday. “At the last meeting, we discussed the fact that you will be involved in the training of volunteer units capable of carrying out various combat missions, mainly, of course, in the zone of the ‘special military operation’ “in Ukraine, Vladimir Putin declared Thursday to Andreï Trochev, according to a press release published Friday.
Retired colonel Andreï Trochev is often described as one of the founders of Wagner. He is under European sanctions for having been “directly involved in the group’s military operations (…) in Syria”, according to an EU document dated at the end of 2021. Vladimir Putin’s request further shows the integration of Wagner veterans into the Russian army. The death of their leader Evgeni Prigojine, at the end of August in the crash of his plane and alongside several members of his bodyguard, marked the end of Wagner in his hitherto known form.
Swiss aid for mine clearance in Ukraine
On Friday, Switzerland announced that it would devote 100 million francs, the equivalent of 103 million euros, to demining Ukraine between 2024 and 2027. This envelope should make it possible to provide equipment and train Ukrainian deminers for humanitarian purposes, the federal government said in a press release. Due to its neutral status, Switzerland cannot assist in mine clearance operations for military purposes.
“Ukraine is today considered one of the countries with the most mines and explosive devices in the world”, underlined Viola Amherd, the Minister of Defense of Switzerland, during a press briefing. According to the Federal Council, “decontamination is an absolute emergency for Ukraine and one of the prerequisites for the reconstruction of the country.”
kyiv reacts to Russian participation in the Paralympics
Ukraine estimated on Friday that the authorization granted to Russian athletes to participate under a neutral banner in the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, “encourage Russia” to continue his invasion of the country. “Allowing Russian participation in the Paralympics (…) firstly prolongs the war and, secondly, encourages Russia to increase levels of mass violence in Ukraine”denounced on X (formerly Twitter) Mykhaïlo Podoliak, adviser to the Ukrainian presidency.
Moscow celebrates annexation of Ukrainian regions
Thousands of people gathered on Friday on the emblematic Red Square in Moscow to celebrate with a concert the first anniversary of the annexation claimed by Russia of four Ukrainian regions.
In the crowd, a veritable sea of Russian flags, distributed to the participants. In front of them, the stage was surrounded by screens bearing the slogan “one nation, one family, one Russia”, the title of the concert. Just above sat the inscription “Donbass is the New Russia”a reference to the project aimed at creating Russian territory in southern and eastern Ukraine.
At the end of September 2022, Vladimir Putin signed the documents ratifying the annexation of the Ukrainian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk (east), as well as Zaporizhia and Kherson (south).