kyiv fears more Russian bombardment in the coming days as Ukraine marks Independence Day, six months after the start of the Russian offensive in the country. In parallel on Sunday, Emmanuel Macron, Joe Biden, Olaf Scholz and Boris Johnson have called for “detention” around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant of Zaporijjia, the largest in Europe, occupied by the Russian army. Franceinfo returns to the highlights of Sunday August 21 on the the war in Ukraine.
Ukraine fears reprisals for its Independence Day
Russia could “do something particularly disgusting” and “cruel” next week in Ukraine, when the country celebrates its Independence Day on Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday. “One of the key objectives of the enemy is to humiliate us”of “to sow despondency, fear and conflict”but “we must be strong enough to resist any provocation” and “make the occupiers pay for their terror”he added.
According to an adviser to the presidency, Mykhaïlo Podoliak, Russia could intensify its bombardments of Ukrainian cities on Tuesday and Wednesday. In this context, the kyiv authorities announced on Sunday the ban on all public gatherings between Monday and Thursday in the capital. The governor of the Kharkiv region meanwhile announced a long curfew scheduled from Tuesday evening to Thursday morning.
kyiv denies any involvement in the murder of the daughter of a Russian ultra-nationalist ideologue
Daria Dugin, daughter of Russian ultra-nationalist intellectual Alexander Dugin, is dead in the explosion of his father’s car on Saturday near Moscow. According Andrei Krasnov, a relative of Daria Dougin Quoted by IRussian state news agency TASS (in English), Alexander Dugin was the person targeted by the explosion. His daughter had borrowed his car to return from a festival in the suburbs of Moscow where she had gone with her father. The latter would have Nevertheless decided to change cars, according to the Russian government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta (in Russian).
Alexander Dugin, who supports the Russian offensive in Ukraine, is the promoter of the doctrine “eurasist”, an alliance between Europe and Asia under Russian leadership. Denis Pushilin, lpro-russian leader of the republic self-proclaimed separatist of Donetsk, accused Ukrainian forces of being behind the assassination of Daria Dugin. A adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Mikhaïlo Podoliak, denied any Ukrainian involvement in this attack. “Ukraine definitely had nothing to do with yesterday’s explosion, because we are not a criminal state”he hammered.
Security official found dead
The head of a regional branch of the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has been found dead at his home in central Ukraine, the prosecutor’s office announced on Sunday. Late Saturday evening, the wife of Oleksandr Nakonetchny heard the sound of a shot in their apartment in Kropyvnytsky, before discovering the body of her husband shot in one of the rooms, said the same source on Telegram . The police have opened an investigation to establish the cause of his death.
A call for “restraint” around Zaporizhia
American, French, German and British leaders on Sunday called for the “detention” around the Ukrainian nuclear power plant of Zaporijjia, the largest in Europe, occupied by the Russian army. US and French Presidents Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron, as well as German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who spoke on the phone, also asked for the dispatch “fast” on site of a mission of inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), according to the spokesman for Olaf Scholz.
In parallel, “Ihe four leaders reaffirmed their determination to support Ukraine over the long term to enable it to defend itself”said the Elysée on Sunday evening.