Events and statements follow one another as the war in Ukraine enters its second week. Here are some points to remember.
The main advances
A relative calm enveloped Kiev on this eighth day of war, after loud explosions heard on the night of Wednesday to Thursday. The fighting is currently taking place on the outskirts of the capital, where the Ukrainian army says it has succeeded in holding its positions.
Further north, in Chernihiv, on one of the roads leading to Kiev, Russian airstrikes targeted two schools and left at least 33 civilians dead and 18 injured. These attacks come as the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claims to defend “stably” the outskirts of the city.
In the far south, bordering the Black Sea, Russian troops have completely surrounded the city of Kherson, which fell the day before, which complicates its supply of several essential goods. Further east, in Mariupol, the mayor accused Russia of using the same strategy and besieging his city. “They destroyed the bridges, destroyed the trains to prevent us from taking out our wives, our children and our old people. […] They seek to impose a blockade,” Vadym Boitchenko said on Telegram.
About 90% of the roughly 150,000 Russian soldiers massed on the border with Ukraine before the conflict began are now inside the country, a Pentagon officer said in a private briefing with the American press. An increase from the 82% estimated the day before.
At the end of the day, a Russian bombardment caused a fire in the nuclear power plant of Zaporijjia, the largest in Europe, in the center of the country. The Ukrainian authorities quickly reassured the population, ensuring that the safety of the reactors was now “guaranteed”.
Putin says everything is going ‘according to plan’
“The special military operation is going strictly according to schedule, according to plan. All tasks have been successfully completed,” Russian President Vladimir Putin told television without flinching. During a meeting of his security council, he repeated that he wanted to fight “neo-Nazis” to save Russians and Ukrainians, who, according to him, are “one people”.
In the same breath, the Russian president announced financial compensation for Russian soldiers killed or injured in Ukraine, but also for those who are still deployed there. Russia said on Wednesday that 498 Russian soldiers had been killed and 1,597 others injured.
Timid progress during the talks
Russian and Ukrainian negotiators met on Thursday for a second attempt at a settlement, with Kiev hoping to secure a truce. “Unfortunately, there are not yet the expected results for Ukraine”, wrote on Twitter Mikhaïlo Podoliak, a member of the Ukrainian delegation.
The two parties have, however, agreed on the development of “humanitarian corridors”. These “corridors” are governed by the Geneva Conventions. In addition to the safe evacuation of refugees, these land routes must allow the “free passage of any shipment of medicines and medical equipment” as well as “essential food, clothing and tonics” to the populations.
“The worst is yet to come”, thinks the French president
French President Emmanuel Macron, one of the few Western leaders still in direct contact with Vladimir Putin, believes that “the worst is yet to come” in Ukraine.
After an hour-and-a-half telephone discussion between Mr. Macron and his Russian counterpart, the latter reportedly said that the Russian army operation would “get worse” if the Ukrainians did not accept its conditions, according to the Élysée. . Vladimir Putin would have told him of “his very great determination” to continue his offensive and of his objective “to take control” of the whole country.
It was Vladimir Putin who took the initiative for this exchange, the third since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
Moreover, the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said that we had to prepare for a “long war”. During a visit to Lithuania, where he reviewed the German forces deployed in the Baltic NATO member country, Steinmeier stressed that he “did not see any signs” indicating that this “war would end soon “.
“Historic” decision on the reception of refugees
The 27 member countries of the European Union unanimously decided on Thursday to grant “temporary protection” to refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine, whether they are Ukrainian nationals or long-term residents of the country. The decision is considered “historic” by Brussels.
EU interior ministers decided to activate the 2001 Displaced Persons Directive for the first time. This measure will allow refugees not only to stay in the European Union, but also to work there and to have access to social assistance, housing, the school system and medical care.
“We have already welcomed around 1 million refugees, and we will see millions more. We need this legislative measure to offer them adequate protection,” said EU Home Affairs Commissioner Ylva Johansson after the ministerial meeting in Brussels.
The status of “temporary protection” will be granted for a period of one year, but will be renewable.
With Agence France-Presse