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 of this Thursday, the 953rd day of the war.
News of the day
Ukraine can count on the unwavering support of NATO. Proof of this is the trip to kyiv this Thursday by Mark Rutte, the new Secretary General of the Alliance, barely two days after taking office. “It is my priority and my privilege to advance this “Western” support to ensure that Ukraine wins,” insisted the man who is described in diplomatic circles as rather “Russophobic” during a conference. press conference given alongside the Ukrainian president. The latter, always looking for weapons to counter the Russian offensive, did not hesitate to unfurl his list of grievances. Volodymyr Zelensky notably accused his Western allies of “dragging” deliveries of long-range missiles for his country.
If kyiv demands to be able to target targets deep within Russian territory with these missiles to reduce Moscow’s capabilities to strike Ukraine, several of its allies – including the United States – refuse to give a green light, fearing an escalation. of the Kremlin.
The number of the day
7. The number of civilians who died this Thursday. Three were killed in a Russian drone attack on a village in Ukraine’s Cherniguiv region in the north of the country. According to Ukrainian police, a 6-year-old girl was among the victims of this strike which left four others injured. The drone attacked a tanker truck carrying gas for the population. The vehicle exploded, setting fire to nearby houses, police said on Telegram. The truck driver and his colleague were killed. During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, eleven people were also injured in strikes on Kharkiv, the country’s second city.
On the Russian side, four civilians were killed and 24 injured Thursday in Ukrainian strikes on the Belgorod region.
Sentence of the day
« Jointly shooting down Iranian missiles is no different from shooting down Russian missiles” »
Volodymyr Zelensky wants to “convince” his allies to “shoot down Russian missiles and drones” targeting Ukraine. And for this, he does not hesitate to cite the example of Israel, helped by the West to intercept the Iranian missiles which struck it. The Ukrainian president recalls that Russia is also using Iranian-designed Shahed-type explosive drones to strike Ukraine. “We see how, particularly in the Middle East, it is possible to protect human lives thanks to the unity of the allies,” he notes, while recognizing that he is aware “that it is a question of “a difficult decision” and that kyiv’s allies “are not yet ready” to do so.
Today’s trend
On the ground, Ukrainian troops continue to give ground. The latest setback, known since Wednesday but made official this Thursday by Russia, is the fall of Vouhledar, an important town in the Donetsk region. The defeat of kyiv at this junction of the southern and eastern fronts raises, according to experts, questions about the solidity of the Ukrainian defenses located beyond.
In the east, Russian troops are also inexorably approaching Pokrovsk, a key city for military logistics.
