LIVE – War in Ukraine: Russian occupation officer killed in car bomb blast

Valery Chaika, an official in the Russian occupation of eastern Ukraine, was killed in a “car bomb” explosion in Starobilsk on Monday, the head of the pro-Russian municipal administration said.

“Our comrade is dead,” Vladimir Chernev wrote on Telegram, adding that an investigation was underway. In the past, car bombings blamed on Ukraine have often targeted pro-Russian officials in occupied Ukrainian territories.

According to the Institute for the Study of War, Ukrainian forces repulsed an attack by a Russian mechanized battalion near Avdivka on March 30.

Xavier Teitelman, Editor-in-Chief of Air at Cosmos, returning from Ukraine, shared his observations on the Ukrainian air defense system on LCI, while the attacked country is lagging behind in arms deliveries.

In China, Foreign Minister Stéphane Sejour held a press conference with his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi. An opportunity to recall them is that France expected China to send “very clear messages to its close ally, Russia,” about the war in Ukraine. The minister thus called for a “balance of power favorable to Ukraine”.

Find key information related to the last 24 hours of conflict below:

• Plea for peace: Pope Francis urges “not to fall into the logic of arms” during Easter celebrations at the Vatican. “Let us not let the ongoing hostilities have a serious impact on the civilian population that is now exhausted, especially the children,” the 87-year-old pope urged during his “Urbi et Orbi” (“For the city and the world”). ) blessing. ), fueling the war, especially in Ukraine.
• Arrest of LGBT+ bar owner in Russia: A Russian court placed in pre-trial detention the owner of an LGBT+ bar whose two employees had already been arrested and targeted by “extremism” charges punishable by 10 years in prison. Prisons, while repression against sexual minorities has increased in Russia since the start of the war in Ukraine.
• Russian strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure: Bomb blasts targeting infrastructure in Ukraine overnight Saturday into Sunday, killing at least one person in Lviv region (west), Ukrainian authorities claim to have shot down nine missiles and nine drones. In its daily report, the Russian military indicated that it had targeted Ukrainian electricity, gas and military industry-related infrastructure with missiles and drones.
• New aid package for Ukraine: Armed Forces Minister Sebastien Lecornu announced that France would deliver “hundreds” of old but “still operational” armored vehicles and Aster missiles to Ukraine as the country struggles on the frontlines due to lack of adequate troops. Equipment

Hello and welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the conflict in Ukraine. Find here all the information related to this war started by Russia more than two years ago.