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11:11 a.m .: the capture of Bakhmout is necessary for the continuation of the Russian offensive, according to Moscow
The capture of the city of Bakhmout, epicenter of fierce fighting in eastern Ukraine for months, is necessary for the continuation of the Russian offensive, said the Russian Minister of Defense.
“This city is an important node (of the lines) of defense of Ukrainian soldiers in the Donbass. Taking it under control will make it possible to carry out new in-depth offensive operations once morest the defense of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” Sergei Shoigu said during of a meeting of executives from his ministry, broadcast on television.
The day before, President Zelensky asked his military commanders to “find the forces” to defend #Bakhmout.
Since the summer, the city has been at the heart of a Russian offensive which has largely ravaged the city, without allowing its occupation so far. In recent weeks, the Russians have made slight advances and now seem to control access to the city from the north, south and east, creating the threat of encirclement.
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11:04 am: the Council of Europe is alarmed by a “war” once morest journalism on the sidelines of the Ukrainian conflict
The Council of Europe denounced the “war” waged once morest journalism “in certain parts of Europe”, in particular since the launch of the Russian invasion of Ukraine where “at least twelve journalists and media professionals” have been killed since the start of the war.
This “war of aggression” launched by Russia once morest its neighbor “took place in a context of continuous deterioration of press freedom in Europe, marked by a significant increase in the number of journalists in detention”, indicates the Platform for the safety of journalists in its report entitled “The war in Europe and the fight for the right to inform”.
In Ukraine, “at least 12 media professionals” were killed in 2022 while covering the conflict and “21 others were injured”, continue the authors of the latest report from this platform established in 2015 by the Council of Europe in cooperation with some fifteen international organizations (International Federation of Journalists, Reporters Without Borders, etc.) in order to strengthen the protection of journalists.
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9:23 a.m .: The ICRC might miss a quarter of its budget planned for 2023, its director is alarmed
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) fears that it will miss up to a quarter of its budget in 2023 and risks having to make cuts in certain operations, its director general Robert Mardini told Swiss media. .
For lack of sufficient donations, 500 to 700 million Swiss francs (regarding as many euros) might be missing from the ICRC’s 2.79 billion budget planned for this year, Robert Mardini explained to the daily Le Temps. “If this is confirmed, we will no longer have the means to help the populations in the places most difficult to access, where our presence is the most important”, he underlined.
“There are obviously fewer donations for humanitarian aid in general. This trend is accentuated now with the conflict between Russia and Ukraine,” he explained to public radio RTS, adding that ” the communities affected by these crises find themselves forgotten by the international community, which is not up to the challenge”.
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4:05 a.m .: Beijing warns the USA of a risk of conflict without a change of posture
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang has criticized recent US policy towards China, warning of a risk of ‘conflict and confrontation’ if Washington does not change the trajectory it is on .
During a press conference, the head of Chinese diplomacy also declared that an “invisible hand” was using the crisis in Ukraine to “serve a certain geopolitical agenda”.
“Conflict, sanctions and pressure will not solve the problem…” Qin Gang said, calling for dialogue.
“The process of peace negotiations must begin as soon as possible, and the legitimate security concerns of all parties must be respected,” he continued.
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12:49 a.m.: Zelensky asks the army to “find the forces” to defend Bakhmout
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Monday he had asked his military commanders to “find the forces” to defend Bakhmout, around which Russian troops have tightened their grip.
“I told the General Staff to find the appropriate forces to help the guys in Bakhmout,” he said in a video, saying “no part of Ukraine can be left” to the Russians.
With AFP and Archyde.com
