Putin Claims Russians “Hold” Position “Around Avdivka”…

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday it had destroyed twenty missiles launched by Ukraine over the Black Sea and into Crimea, which “crashed” near Sevastopol, an annexed peninsula. In detail, 17 were destroyed on the Black Sea and three in the Crimean Peninsula.

The International Court of Justice, the UN’s top court, on Wednesday rejected most of Kiev’s accusations that Russia funds “terrorism” in eastern Ukraine. She believes that, on the other hand, Moscow should investigate specific acts.

Kyiv claimed that Russian support for separatist rebels was a prelude to the February 2022 offensive.

On the eve of a crucial summit in Brussels and fears of a multiplier cut in American aid, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed his willingness to “do everything” to increase European military aid to Ukraine, adding that he wants “more countries” to actively participate in this support. .

The 27 EU countries are meeting from Thursday for a summit dedicated to financial and military aid to Kiev, which has been trying to fend off Russia’s aggression for nearly two years.

The German chancellor, whose country is the second-largest contributor in absolute terms to support Ukraine in the form of humanitarian, financial and military aid behind the United States, has repeatedly repeated in recent months that her European allies can do anything further.

Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that Russian forces held positions on the “outskirts” of the Ukrainian city of Avdivka (east), one of the hottest points on the front. Russian troops “have reached the outskirts of Avdivka, captured 19 houses and are holding them,” he said at an event in Moscow.

Last week, its Ukrainian mayor said Russian troops had managed to enter the city for the first time but were repelled by Kiev troops.

The Il-76 military plane that crashed in Russia last week, with Ukrainian prisoners on board, was shot down “with precision” using the “American Patriot system,” according to Moscow, President Vladimir Putin said Wednesday. was

The missile was fired from “territory controlled by Ukrainian forces,” he added.

Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) planned the drone attack on a refinery in Russia’s second-largest city of St. Petersburg, a source in the structure told AFP on Wednesday.

“It is a site used for military purposes,” the source said after the attack, which took place between Tuesday and Wednesday night, according to the city’s governor.

Will the very popular General Valery Zalozhny, who commands the Ukrainian army, be fired? Since Monday, the rumor has been doing the rounds on social networks. Several articles published by local media suggest that his departure is imminent.

“His resignation is only a matter of time and circumstances,” says Volodymyr Fesenko, a Ukrainian political analyst.

Tensions between Volodymyr Zelenskyi and the soldier have continued for months. According to several highly placed sources, the Ukrainian president blames him specifically for the lack of progress on the front. And very popular with Ukrainians. Currently, the general’s confidence rating reaches 92% against 77% for Zelensky.

Some media claimed that Valery Zaluz, appointed to his post in 2021, a few months before the start of the Russian invasion of his country, will be replaced by the head of military intelligence Kyrillo Budanov or the commander of the ground troops Oleksandr Sirsky. But for the moment Zelensky does not confirm. He also denies wanting to fire his general, whose dismissal would be viewed negatively by 72% of Ukrainians.

Russia and Ukraine announced Wednesday that they had exchanged nearly 200 prisoners of war from each side, a week after the crash of a Russian military plane that Moscow said killed Ukrainian soldiers. by Kiev.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the same number of Ukrainian soldiers were replaced by “195 Russian soldiers”.

For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed the return of “207” of his fellow citizens who had been detained by the Russians. “We are at home,” he wrote on social media, promising to bring home all prisoners, “combatants or civilians.”

This is the fiftieth such exchange, said Ukrainian Human Rights Commissioner Dmytro Lubinets. According to him, a total of 3,035 Ukrainians have already been able to return home.

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to renew from June the exemption from customs duties enjoyed by agricultural products entering the EU, combining it with “safeguard measures” to limit the volume of the most sensitive products. These “reinforced mechanisms” will make it possible to adopt “rapid corrective measures” in case of significant disruptions in the European market, whether domestic. For certain products – poultry, eggs and sugar – an “emergency break” is planned to “freeze” imports at average volumes imported in 2022 and 2023 – levels beyond which customs duties will be reimposed, the agency said. European Executive.

Russian MPs on Wednesday adopted legislation aimed at confiscating the money and assets of anyone found guilty of spreading “false information” about the military. “The law on blasphemy has been adopted,” Vyacheslav Volodin, the speaker of the State Duma, the lower house of the Russian parliament, welcomed in a telegram. “This decision will make it possible to punish those who act against their country (…), confiscate their property and their money,” he underlined.

Boris Nadezhdin, the only opponent of the attack in Ukraine in the run-up to the Russian presidential election, submitted the signatures of support needed to register his candidacy for the March 15-17 election on Wednesday. “Signatures handed in,” declared a member of the electoral commission, according to an AFP reporter at the site. Boris Nadezhdy, who has advocated an “end” to the aggression in Ukraine and denounced Vladimir Putin’s authoritarian stance, has sparked unexpected enthusiasm in recent days, with thousands of Russians rallying to support his candidacy. Learn more below.

Five EU heads of government, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, called on member states on Wednesday to “redouble their efforts” in their military support for Ukraine. Olaf Scholz, Mette Frederiksen (Denmark), Petr Fiala (Czech Republic), Kaja Kallas (Estonia) and Mark Rutte (Netherlands) said in a column, “We are doing our best to ensure that our support continues as long as possible. Efforts should be redoubled.” Published in daily Financial Times.

“Ukraine does not have enough artillery ammunition. And commitments in terms of military support are at risk of not meeting Kiev’s needs, he adds. They therefore call on “friends and partners of Ukraine to recommit, as a common European responsibility, to long-term and sustainable military assistance to Ukraine”.

The Ukrainian Armed Forces said on Wednesday that Russia launched a new night attack on Ukraine with 20 drones and three ballistic missiles. The latter clarified that Russian forces had launched 20 Iranian-designed attack drones as well as three ballistic missiles.

Authorities have released very little information at this stage on the damage caused by this new attack. Police in Kharkiv region (east), which borders Russia, however, indicated that supermarkets and residential buildings were damaged during the attack.

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