Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? Do not panic, 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Who did what ? Who said what? Where are we ? The answer below.
news of the day
A political response to military incursions. Two days after the breakthrough in Russia of two Ukrainian groups, the Kremlin promises an “extremely firm” response in the event of new actions on national territory. “We will continue to respond quickly,” Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said on Wednesday.
After words, actions. The Russian authorities have accused Ukraine of having attacked one of its warships which was on patrol in the Turkish exclusive economic zone. The Kremlin claimed to have neutralized the assault, destroying three unmanned boats. In addition, in the Belgorod region, the target of Ukrainian intrusions, “numerous” drone attacks have been reported, according to the governor of this territory.
sentence of the day
“Relations between China and Russia have reached an unprecedented level. They are characterized by mutual respect for each other’s interests, the desire to respond together to the challenges, which are linked to increased turbulence on the international scene and the pressure of illegitimate sanctions from the collective West. »
These are the words of Mikhail Michoustin. During a visit to China, the Prime Minister denounced Western “pressure” since the start of the invasion of Ukraine. He can be reassured: his faithful Chinese ally has reaffirmed his “firm support” for the Kremlin on issues relating to “fundamental interests”.
The number of the day
Five. Like the number of foreigners on trial in Russia starting next week. Their wrong? Having fought for Ukraine. According to Moscow, the five men (three Britons, a Croat and a Swede) had been taken prisoner during the battle for Mariupol, in the spring of 2022, when they were part of the Azov regiment, considered a terrorist organization in Russia and based in Mariupol before the conquest of this port city by the Russian army. All released as part of a prisoner exchange, they will be tried in absentia.
The trend of the day
Transparency operation at Wagner. Evgueni Prigojine, the head of the paramilitary organization, estimated that around 10,000 of the 50,000 prisoners recruited from Russian prisons to fight in Ukraine died on the front line in the battle of Bakhmout.
According to him, the Ukrainian losses are much heavier: “I have three times fewer killed and (…) about half as many wounded. This is the first time that the leader of Wagner speaks openly about the extent of his losses, while on the Russian side everything is done to keep the number of killed and wounded secret.