“It’s a stress test for our societies. We have no choice.” At a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels on Monday 18 July, Joseph Borrell reiterated the need to “hold out” and continue to increase pressure on Moscow despite the threat of a disruption of Russian gas supplies. Lhe head of European diplomacy is concerned to see hostility to sanctions growing in public opinion while fuel, gas and electricity prices are soaring in Europe. In the field, at least six people were killed in a shelling in Toretsk, near Donetsk. Franceinfo takes stock of the situation in Ukraine, on the 145th day of war.
At least six dead in a bombardment on Toretsk
Six people were killed on Monday morning when a shell fell on an apartment building in Toretsk, a town of around 30,000 people in the Donetsk region. According the Ukrainian State Service for Emergency Situations, the strike hit a large house located a little away from the city center. “Rescuers recovered five bodies. Three people were extricated from the rubble, one of whom died in hospital”can we read in a press release posted on the Facebook page.
The head of European diplomacy calls on Europeans to “hold on” in the face of the consequences of the war
the head of European diplomacy, Josep Borrell, called on Europeans to “hold out” in the face of soaring energy and food prices, consequences of the war in Ukraine. “It’s a stress test for our societies, he said after a meeting of EU foreign ministers in Brussels. I’m sure Putin is counting on Democrat fatigue. I’m sure he thinks democracies are weak. European societies cannot afford to be tired”.
Giving in on sanctions would be falling into Putin’s ‘trap’, kyiv warns
In an address to his counterparts gathered in Brussels, the head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba also asked the European Union not to “stepping back and complying with demands” of Vladimir Putin, claiming that the Russian president wanted “plunge the whole of Europe into crisis”. “Putin’s real objective is the impoverishment of Europe. He wants to turn public opinion against the governments in place, in the hope of replacing them with radical forces that would be more favorable to Russia”, he also warned.
In Ukraine, the head of the security services and the general prosecutor suspended
A simple suspension at this point, not a dismissal. Ukrainian Security Service Chief Ivan Bakanov and Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova were only suspended by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, not fired as initially announced. Andriy Smirnov, deputy head of the presidency, made this point Monday on Ukrainian television. It’s about “to avoid any influence of these two officials on the criminal investigations against members of the security services and the prosecution suspected of cooperation with Russia”.
Ukrainian authorities are investigating more than 650 cases of suspected treason by local officials, including 60 in areas occupied by Russian and pro-Russian forces. Irina Venediktova notably led the investigation into suspected war crimes committed by Russian forces in the town of Boutcha. In the meantime, a deputyIvan Bakanov, Vasyl Maliouk, was appointed acting head of the SBU.
Heavy losses for Wagner
The Russian paramilitary group Wagner, closely linked to the Kremlin, suffered “heavy losses” in the Donbass, the British Ministry of Defense said on Monday. So, to replenish his workforce, Wagner decided to lower “its recruitment standards” and will now hire “convicts and formerly blacklisted individuals”. This should ultimately limit the effectiveness of the group and “reduce its value” for Moscow, according to London.
Big fine for Google
A Moscow court on Monday fined Google 363 million euros for failing to remove content denouncing the offensive in Ukraine, announced the Russian telecoms policeman Roskomnadzor. The YouTube video platform, owned by Google, did not block “false information” on the offensive in Ukraine, as well as content “propagating extremism and terrorism”justifies Roskomnadzor.
At the same time, Vladimir Putin has sworn to defeat the “colossal difficulties” caused by the “almost total blockage” in high-tech products from Russia by Western tech giants.