On the eve of a long-awaited speech by Vladimir Putin, which must ratify the annexation of the occupied territories in Ukraine, Ukrainian forces surround the town of Lyman, in the east of the country. The US Senate also voted a new support envelope for kyiv, amounting to 12 billion dollars. Franceinfo looks back on the highlights of Thursday, September 29 on the front of the war in Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin prepares to ratify the annexation of the occupied regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin will formalize Friday, September 30, in Moscow, the annexation by Russia of four Ukrainian regions, widely denounced by kyiv and its Western allies, but which he threatened to defend even with nuclear weapons. The ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. French time. Vladimir Putin will deliver on this occasion “a voluminous speech”according to his spokesman Dmitry Peskov.
US Senate votes for $12 billion in aid to Ukraine
The US Senate voted a new envelope of more than twelve billion dollars, with a military component of some three billion to train, equip and pay Ukrainian troops. For his part, US President Joe Biden has promised not to “never, never, never” recognize referendum results “orchestrated by Russia” in Ukraine.
Ukraine attempts to retake the town of Lyman
After having reconquered most of the North-East, Ukraine seems launched in the recovery of Lyman, a city in the Donetsk region and an important railway hub that the Russian army has controlled since May. “The adversary undertakes regular attempts to attack to create the conditions for an encirclement”explained to Russian television a senior pro-Russian local separatist official, Alexei Nikonorov.
Russian strike kills four in Dnipro
On the ground, Russian bombardments continued to hit Ukrainian cities, killing a child in particular in the night in Dnipro. At least five civilians were killed in the Ukrainian-controlled part of the Donetsk region on Wednesday.
Vladimir Putin recognizes “errors” on the partial mobilization
In Russia, the mobilization of hundreds of thousands of civilian reservists to come and reinforce the Russian lines continued, as did the exodus of tens of thousands of people fearing to be mobilized.
As discontent mounts in Russia in the face of an often chaotic mobilization, Vladimir Putin on Thursday acknowledged “errors to be corrected”asking “to bring home those who have been summoned without proper reason”.
Finland closes its borders to Russians with EU tourist visas
Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland had already taken a similar decision: faced with a sharp increase in entries from Russia, Finland will close its borders from Friday to Russian citizens with European tourist visas of the Schengen area, the government announced on Thursday at midday. That “aims to completely prevent the current situation of Russian tourism in Finland and related transit through the country”, Finnish Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto said.
A fourth leak has been detected on the Nord Stream gas pipelines
On the international front of the conflict, it was leaks due to mysterious explosions on the Nord Stream 1 and 2 gas pipelines that fueled new Russian-Western tensions. A fourth leak was detected on Thursday.
The two camps are now accusing each other half-heartedly of having sabotaged the underwater tubes, a crucial infrastructure for the European supply of Russian gas. Vladimir Putin thus denounced a “act of international terrorism” and “an unprecedented act of sabotage”. A meeting of the UN Security Council is scheduled for Friday on the subject, at the request of Moscow.