Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the progress on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the main part of this Sunday, on the 984th day of the conflict.
Fact of the day
Moldova announced this Sunday to investigate the alleged establishment by Russia of “organized transport” to allow Moldovan nationals residing on its soil to participate in the second round of a presidential election crucial for the future of the former republic Soviet. “National authorities are carrying out investigations to collect evidence about flights linking Russia to Belarus, Azerbaijan and Turkey” to allow its residents to vote in the Moldovan consulates or embassies of these countries, a the police said.
Two weeks after the “yes” victory in the EU referendum, Moldovans are voting to choose their president and confirm or not their European destiny. Outgoing head of state Maia Sandu, a 52-year-old fervent pro-Western woman who turned her back on Moscow after the invasion of neighboring Ukraine, faces Alexandr Stoianoglo, a former prosecutor supported by pro-Russian socialists.
Catch of the day
Russia claimed Sunday the capture of a village located about ten kilometers south of Pokrovsk, a key logistical node for Ukrainian forces in the east of the country, which Russian troops have been closing in on for months. “Units of the Center troop group liberated the village of Vishneve following offensive operations,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in its daily report.
The day before, the Russian army had already claimed the capture of two new villages in eastern Ukraine, where its soldiers have been gaining ground since the start of the year against fewer and less armed Ukrainian troops.
The number of the day
2. A second Taiwanese volunteer has died in combat in Ukraine, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry announced on Sunday. The man was a member of the Ukrainian Foreign Legion, the ministry said in a statement, expressing condolences to his family. The ministry said it was informed of the man’s death on Saturday and that Taiwan’s representative office in Poland had verified the information with the Ukrainian Foreign Legion.
Today’s trend
The world continues its geopolitical reconfiguration. Indonesia, long a supporter of a very neutral foreign policy, is to organize its first joint naval exercises with Russia this week. Until now, the archipelago had refused to take a clear side in the war between Russia and Ukraine or to choose between China and the United States, two great rival powers.
But new President Prabowo Subianto has called for stronger ties with Moscow despite Western pressure. Prabowo Subianto traveled to Moscow in July to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin, subsequently announcing joint naval exercises that signal that Moscow should be able to strengthen its influence over Indonesia. Furthermore, a $1.1 billion deal for Russian fighter jets, concluded in 2018, despite the threat of American sanctions, is still on the table.
