Most of the information on the war in Ukraine this Wednesday, December 18.
This Wednesday, Libé selects the most important news regarding the war between Russia and Ukraine.
Uzbek suspect arrested in Russia for assassination of general…
The day after the death of Russian general Igor Kirillov in Moscow in a bomb attack, Russia announced on Wednesday the arrest of a man, suspected of being involved in this assassination claimed by Ukraine. “A national of Uzbekistan, born in 1995, was arrested on suspicion of having committed the attack which cost his life” to the general and his collaborator Ilia Polikarpov, the Russian Investigative Committee declared this Wednesday in a press release which did not identify the suspect. The commander of the Russian radiological, chemical and biological defense forces, Igor Kirillov, 54, was killed Tuesday morning in the explosion of a booby-trapped electric scooter, while leaving his building on Ryazansky Avenue with his assistant. southeast of Moscow.
…and Ukraine accused of “act of terrorism”
The Kremlin accused Kyiv this Wednesday of “act of terrorism” for the assassination in the street of Russian general Igor Kirillov, a first 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. said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, referring to Ukraine. For kyiv, killing this senior officer directly involved in the Russian assault on Ukraine for almost three years is legitimate. The Ukrainian security services (SBU), which claimed responsibility for the assassination, accused the general on Monday of “war crimes” for the use of chemical agents on the Ukrainian battlefield. General Kirillov, sanctioned in October by London for the alleged deployment of chemical weapons in Ukraine, is the most senior Russian military official known to have been killed since the start of the Russian offensive against its Ukrainian neighbor in February 2022.
Russia claims capture of two towns in eastern Ukraine
On the eastern front, the Russian army is increasingly taking away more territory from the Ukrainians. Moscow claimed, this Wednesday, the capture of two new localities 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 villages of Stari Terny and Trudové, located near the mining town of Kurakhové. In addition to the cities of Pokrovsk and Kupiansk, the Russians are seeking to conquer Kurakhové for its large deposit of lithium, a rare ore. 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.
Kyiv denies Russian accusations of using white phosphorus
Ukraine on Wednesday rejected Russian allegations that Ukrainian drones dropped white phosphorus on several occasions in September, calling them “false and absurd”. Ukraine has affirmed that it fully complies with its international arms control obligations. “We are convinced that by making such false accusations, Moscow seeks to shift responsibility for its own actions and to deceive foreign public opinion,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi told Reuters in a written statement.
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