12:18
The Kremlin confirms that the oligarch Abramovich is a mediator with Ukraine
Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich is playing a mediating role in the Russian-Ukrainian talks that opened in Istanbul on Tuesday, the Kremlin said, brushing aside claims that he was poisoned. “Abramovich plays a role in establishing contacts between the Russian and Ukrainian sides,” Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a briefing. “He is present in Istanbul”, although he is not an official member of the Russian delegation, he added.
11:52
Free offers a free plan for refugees
This package includes unlimited calls to Ukraine, unlimited SMS to Poland and Ukraine and 10GB of internet.
11:44
Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Poutine on the phone at 4:30 p.m.
According to the Elysée, Emmanuel Macron and Vladimir Poutine must talk on the phone at 4:30 p.m. Emmanuel Macron wishes in particular to organize an operation to evacuate the inhabitants of the city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine, which has been under siege and bombardment for weeks.
11:28
Roman Abramovich present at talks between Russia and Ukraine
Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich, considered close to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is taking part in the Istanbul negotiations. In images broadcast by the Turkish media, we see him sitting at a table alongside Ibrahim Kalin, a spokesman for President Erdogan. The oligarch who is trying to mediate between Moscow and kyiv has suffered from symptoms that suggest a possible poisoningaccording to Wall Street Journalfrom Monday.
11:18
IAEA chief in Ukraine to discuss security of nuclear sites
After bombings near nuclear power plants and the Russian takeover of the Chernobyl plant, the head of the atomic energy agency travels to Ukraine “for discussions with government officials” to provide “technical assistance” guaranteeing the safety of nuclear installations. “The military conflict poses an unprecedented danger to power plants and other sites across the country. We must take urgent action to ensure they continue to operate safely and reduce the risk of an accident,” said Rafael Grossi, Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency.
10:54
Mykolaiv regional administration hit by Russian strike
A Russian strike hit the headquarters of the regional administration of Mykolaiv, a city near Odessa which has experienced a respite in the bombardments in recent days. According to the governor of this region of southern Ukraine, Vitaly Kim, most of the people inside are unharmed. However, two dead bodies were pulled out of the rubble. The authorities of this city near Odessa in the south-west of Ukraine, had previously announced that the relief workers were looking for eight civilians and three soldiers under the rubble.
10:18
Russia grants military reprieve to young tech professionals
Russia has announced that it will grant a reprieve from military service to young people working in the high-tech sector, to deal with a brain drain caused by the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Companies in the high-tech sector have until May 1, 2022 to draw up the list of their employees under the age of 27 for whom they want to obtain such an exemption, according to a press release from the Russian government. Students in around sixty university specialties are involved in fields as varied as mathematics, cartography, robotics, aeronautics, shipyards and nanotechnology.
09:57
The heavy toll of Russian losses according to the Ukrainian army
According to the Ukrainian forces, the Russian army would have lost according to a last assessment more than 17,000 men or 127 planes but also seven ships.
09:30
Massive cyberattack against telecom operator Ukrtelecom postponed
According to the Communications and Critical Infrastructure Protection Service (SSSCIP), a powerful attack touched, on Monday, the computer systems of the supplier of the communication networks of the Ukrainian army and the civilian population. Customers were temporarily taken off the network to maintain military communications. “The cyberattack against Ukrtelecom has been neutralized and the return to normal services is underway,” according to Yurii Shchyhol, the president of SSSCIP.
09:26
The Ukrainian authorities hope to be able to open three humanitarian corridors, including one in Mariupol
According to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk, the Kyiv authorities will try to set up a safe humanitarian corridor to allow residents of Mariupol, a totally bombed and besieged city, to leave the city in private cars. “Three humanitarian corridors have been validated for today,” she said in a video posted on Telegram.
09:07
Washington considers new sanctions against Russia
The United States, having already sanctioned Russia’s defense industry, plans to target other sectors participating in the Kremlin-led war effort in Ukraine. “We plan to target sectors that are critical to the Kremlin’s ability to operate its war machine,” Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo said.
The idea is to “undermine Russia’s ability to build and maintain (its) tools of war,” the official explained.
09:01
“Both sides have legitimate concerns”, says Erdogan
Before the opening of talks between the Russians and the Ukrainians, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan considered before the delegations that the two parties had “legitimate concerns”. He called on negotiators to “put an end to this tragedy.”
08:47
Negotiations to resume between Russia and Ukraine
Talks between Ukraine and Russia are scheduled to start at 10 a.m. at Dolmabahçe Palace in Istanbul, Turkey. These are the first in-person discussions in more than two weeks. Ukraine has declared its most ambitious goal to be a ceasefire.
08:20
The use of the “Z” criminalized?
Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine called on all states to criminalize the use of the “Z” symbol as a means of publicly supporting Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. “Z stands for Russian war crimes, cities bombed, thousands of Ukrainians murdered. Public support for this barbarism must be prohibited,” he tweeted.
07:55
UN to call for humanitarian ceasefire between Russia and Ukraine
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths to “explore with relevant parties” a way to achieve a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine.
07:41
The New York-Hong Kong will become the longest commercial passenger flight in the world
Cathay Pacific plans to reroute its New York-Hong Kong flight to avoid Russian airspace. This flight should last 17 hours against 15 previously. From John F. Kennedy International Airport in the United States, the planes will pass over the Atlantic Ocean, the United Kingdom, southern Europe and central Asia, according to data from FlightRadar24.
07:21
A file listing accommodation offers for Ukrainian refugees in France
06:39
‘No one thinks of using a nuclear weapon,’ says Kremlin spokesman
“We have no doubt that all the objectives of our special military operation in Ukraine will be achieved,” he explained, adding: “But whatever the outcome of the operation, that will not be a reason for use of a nuclear weapon.
06:28
Several EU countries “discourage” the departure of voluntary combatants
Seven EU countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain, have called on their nationals to refrain from volunteering to help Ukraine fight the Russian offensive, in a statement from their Ministers of Justice.
“To my knowledge in France there have been very few departures that have been observed, in any case permanent departures, almost none,” said Gérald Darmanin, the Minister of the Interior.
06:22
The town of Irpin recaptured from Russian forces
Located on the outskirts of kyiv, the town of Irpin was the scene of heavy fighting. “The city is now liberated, but it is still dangerous to be there”, Interior Minister Denys Monastyrsky explained on television, confirming what Oleksandre Markouchine, the mayor of this locality, had said a little earlier. devastated located at the northwestern entrance to the capital.
The main checkpoint on the road to Irpin out of Kyiv was open again.
06:18
Russian invasion of Ukraine a ‘rehearsal’ of war in Syria, Amnesty says
The Russian invasion in Ukraine is a “repetition” of Syria with a “multiplication of war crimes”, according to Amnesty International during the presentation Tuesday in Johannesburg of its secretary general of the NGO, Agnès Callamard. “We are in intentional attacks on civilian infrastructure, homes, bombings of schools,” explained the secretary general of the NGO, Agnès Callamard. “Our researchers on site for ten days documented the use of the same tactics as in Syria and Chechnya,” she added.
05:58
Resumption of negotiations in Istanbul
Russian negotiators arrived in Istanbul on Monday. The discussions began by videoconference.
One of the important points of the talks concerns “security guarantees and neutrality, the nuclear-free status of our state”, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told Russian media on Sunday.
This point “is being studied in depth” but it will require a referendum and security guarantees, he warned, accusing his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and his entourage of “dragging things out”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, however, tempered expectations on Monday, stressing the lack of “significant progress” in the negotiations so far.
05:58
Concern for Mariupol
According to an adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Tetyana Lomakina, “about 5,000 people have been buried, but people have not been buried for ten days because of the continuous shelling”. She estimated that “given the number of people still under the rubble (…), there could be around 10,000 dead”.
More than a month after the start of the Russian invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced on Sunday a total blockade of this strategic port city on the Sea of Azov, which the Russian army has been trying to seize since the end of February , and where around 160,000 people are still stuck, according to its mayor Vadim Boitchenko.
05:48
Russian Wagner Group mercenaries in eastern Ukraine
Russian mercenaries from Wagner group deployed in eastern Ukraine, the British Ministry of Defense said on Monday, which estimates that more than 1,000 fighters from the sulphurous paramilitary company could be brought to fight in the country.
“Due to heavy casualties and a largely stalled invasion (in Ukraine), Russia was most likely forced to redeploy its Wagner personnel to Ukraine at the expense of operations in Africa and Syria,” London said.
Reputed to be close to Vladimir Putin, the Wagner group and its paramilitaries are suspected of abuses in Mali, Libya and even Syria.
05:37
Good morning !
And welcome to this live. Here you can follow the events of this 34th day of fighting and their consequences.