Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Wednesday, December 18, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.
Suspect arrested after general’s assassination in Moscow
Russia announced on Wednesday the arrest of an Uzbek national who confessed to his involvement in the bomb attack which cost the life of Russian General Igor Kirillov on Tuesday in Moscow.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claimed responsibility for the assassination of the officer, accused by kyiv of being responsible for the use of chemical weapons against Ukrainian troops. In a statement, the Russian Investigative Committee said the suspect confessed to coming to Moscow to carry out a mission on behalf of Ukrainian intelligence services.
The Russian media Baza, known for its links with the security services, broadcast a video of the suspect’s statements, which Reuters could not immediately authenticate. Sitting in a van, wearing a coat, the man explains having bought an electric scooter then receiving an explosive device to carry out the attack a few months later. He describes how he placed the machine on this scooter which he parked in front of the entrance to the building where Igor Kirillov lived.
According to investigators, he also said he installed a surveillance camera in a nearby rental car and added that the masterminds of the assassination, based according to him in the Ukrainian city of Dnipro, had used this camera to follow the events. In the video, the suspect, believed to have been born in 1995, says he detonated the device remotely once Kirillov left the building.
He claims Ukraine offered him $100,000 for his mission as well as asylum in a European country. Investigators said they were identifying other people involved in the attack and the Kommersant daily reported that another suspect had been arrested. Reuters could not confirm this information.
Zelensky arrived in Brussels to meet European leaders
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced Wednesday that he had arrived in Brussels where he is to meet the leaders of the main European powers to discuss the war in Ukraine, a few weeks before Donald Trump’s return to the White House.
“I arrived in Brussels for important negotiations with our European partners. Europe needs a strong and unified position to ensure lasting peace,” the Ukrainian president wrote on X.
Kremlin accuses Ukraine of ‘act of terrorism’ after assassination of Russian general
The Kremlin on Wednesday accused kyiv of “act of terrorism” after the assassination in the middle of the street in Moscow of Russian general Igor Kirillov, a reaction from the Russian presidency which comes more than 24 hours after the attack claimed by Ukraine.
“It is obvious who is behind this act of terrorism. This demonstrates once again that the kyiv regime does not shy away from terrorist methods”declared Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, referring to Ukraine.
The Russian army claims the capture of two localities in eastern Ukraine
Moscow claimed Wednesday the capture of two new localities near the town of Kurakhové, in eastern Ukraine, where kyiv’s forces are losing ground every day against more numerous and better armed Russian troops.
The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that its men took control of the towns of Stari Terny and Troudové, located near the mining town of Kourakhové, the target of Russian assaults for several weeks.
The Ukrainian army, undermined by a lack of men and weapons, has been on the defensive for more than a year. Since the fall, his forces have been retreating more and more rapidly. In addition to the cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, the Russians are seeking to conquer Kurakhové, located near a large deposit of lithium, a rare mineral.
In this sector of the Eastern Front, Russian troops are eating away at the Ukrainians on a daily basis. They have been for several days inside Kourakhové itself, where nearly 20,000 inhabitants lived before the conflict.
The Russian army advanced across 725 km² of Ukrainian territory during the month of November, its largest territorial gain in a month since March 2022 and the first weeks of its large-scale assault, according to an analysis by the AFP based on data from the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite heavy losses in his army, has made the conquest of Donbass in eastern Ukraine his priority. On Monday, the master of the Kremlin assured that his forces have the initiative on “the whole line” frontally, claiming the capture of 189 Ukrainian localities.
Ukraine will be one of the main topics discussed Thursday at his press conference in Moscow with Russian journalists and citizens to “take stock” of the past year.
His Defense Minister, Andreï Beloussov, told him on Monday that Russia was currently advancing on average by “30 km² per day”.
The difficulties of the Ukrainian army and the uncertainties over the sustainability of American aid to kyiv with the return in January to the White House of Donald Trump have revived speculation on possible peace talks, after almost three years of ‘a conflict which has caused hundreds of thousands of victims, civilians and military alike.
