Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Between the strong declarations, the advances on the front and the results of the fighting, here is the essential part of this Friday, January 17, 2024, the 1,059th day of the war.
Fact of the day
“Russia will not stop on its own. It can only be stopped by common pressure,” Volodymyr Zelensky immediately reacted. A Russian strike left at least four dead and five injured in broad daylight in the industrial town of Kryvyï Rig, in central Ukraine, the regional governor announced on Friday. The attack hit an “educational institution” and residential buildings, Serguii Lysak said on Telegram.
This attack reminds us “who we are dealing with,” said the Ukrainian president, who was born in Kryvyï Rig. This city, which had more than 600,000 inhabitants before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has since been frequently targeted by Russian air attacks.
The Ukrainian army also accused Russian forces this Friday of having struck with FPV drones a school located in Sudja, in the part of the Russian region of Kursk occupied by Ukraine and which serves as a refuge for a hundred Russian civilians. FPV drones (First person view in English) are devices that allow their pilots to see images of the terrain live as if they were on board, would have. Two Russian civilians suffered concussions as a result of the attack, he added. Two children were at the site at the time of the strike, but were not hit, he said.
Today’s statement
« “The context has not changed. Putin has not changed his goals and nothing has changed on the ground. There is therefore no reason to lift the sanctions” »
The lyrics are by Kaja Kallas this Friday. The head of European diplomacy said this Friday that there was no reason to abandon sanctions against Russia, with Hungary delaying their renewal while waiting for Donald Trump to take office. “We absolutely need sanctions. This is our means of pressure and it would be very strange to give it up,” insists Kaja Kallas.
The European Union has already imposed fifteen rounds of sanctions since the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022. The next decision on the renewal of sanctions must be taken unanimously by the 27 EU member states. by January 31.
But Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, the most conciliatory European leader towards Russia, is refusing for the moment to extend these sanctions.
The number of the day
200. This is the number of searches carried out by the Ukrainian police in order to dismantle networks allowing the flight abroad of men resistant to military mobilization. “The police […] began conducting searches in 19 regions of Ukraine at the homes of those involved,” she said in a statement this Friday.
-Ukraine, which has been fighting for three years against the Russian invasion, is struggling to replenish the ranks of its army which is suffering heavy losses and desertions in the face of more numerous and better equipped Russian troops who have been gaining ground for months, in particularly in the east of the country.
Last week, the police had already announced that they would carry out more than 600 searches. Ukrainian men aged 18 to 60 are prohibited from leaving their country, with some exceptions. Those wanting to escape possible mobilization therefore cross the border illegally.
Unofficial estimates indicate that thousands, if not tens of thousands, of Ukrainians may have left illegally thanks to smugglers, false papers or bribes paid to border guards.
The trend
Romania, a NATO member, discovered possible drone fragments on its territory on the border with Ukraine on Friday, following a new Russian bombing campaign targeting this neighboring country. “Debris linked to the impact of a drone was discovered near the border” with Ukraine, in the region of Tulcea (southeast), declared the Romanian Ministry of Defense, saying it was collecting “evidence “.
“The systems detected violations of the airspace” of Romania and “two F-16 air force planes” were mobilized, he added. The Romanian Ministry of Foreign Affairs “strongly” condemned the “irresponsible attacks by Russian forces” which present risks “for the regional flank of NATO”, without “respect for sovereignty”.
Our file on the war in Ukraine
Since the start of its offensive in February 2022, Moscow has carried out drone and missile attacks against Ukraine, particularly against areas close to the western borders with NATO members.
Romania regularly condemns repeated violations of its airspace and has discovered drone debris on several occasions.
