War in Ukraine: 26 drones shot down, attack in Moscow, increased security in kyiv… update on the situation

Une zone près de Zapporijjia attaquée par les Russes le 28 mars 2024. MAXPPP – Dmytro Smolienko/Avalon

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce jeudi 28 mars 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Increased security in kyiv after ballistic missile attacks

Security measures in Kiev will be strengthened after a series of Russian attacks carried out with ballistic missiles that are more difficult to intercept, an official in the Ukrainian capital said Thursday.

Moscow repeatedly struck Ukraine’s energy system and other infrastructure last week with increased reliance on ballistic or hypersonic missiles, which reach their targets more quickly than traditional cruise missiles.

This increased threat to the civilian population will force the Ukrainian authorities to take more security measures when organizing public events or other gatherings, declared the head of the Kiev military administration, Serhi Popko.

"Don't panic", he said on Telegram messaging. "We are implementing preventive measures so that Kiev and its residents are reliably protected."

Ukrainian authorities regularly call on their Western allies to provide them with more air defense systems and munitions to thwart Russian missile and drone attacks.

Ukraine says it destroyed 26 Russian drones in the night

The Ukrainian army said it shot down 26 of the 28 drones launched by Russia overnight from Wednesday to Thursday. Iranian-made drones were destroyed over the east, south and southeast of Ukrainian territory, the army added.

Several types of missiles were used in the attack and those launched over the Black Sea "lost their combat capability&quot ;, also specified the southern command of the Ukrainian army. The governor of the Zaporizhia region said on Telegram that two women were injured by drone debris.

According to the governor of the Odessa region, Oleh Kiper, Russia carried out another missile attack later in the morning on Thursday, without causing any injuries.

Russian NGO Memorial says health of imprisoned leader is deteriorating

The human rights organization Memorial, now banned in Russia, issued a new warning on Thursday about the deteriorating health of its imprisoned leader, Oleg Orlov, 70, accusing the authorities penitentiaries to inflict inhuman treatment on him.

Co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2022, Oleg Orlov was sentenced last month to two and a half years in prison for "discrediting the forces armies" by participating in demonstrations against the war in Ukraine and accusing Russian power of having descended into fascism. He appealed his conviction.

Memorial on Wednesday accused the prison service of providing its leader only with freeze-dried food and of transporting him daily between the prison and the court where the documents for his appeal are examined in an unheated van.

"Orlov’s constant travel to court, as well as the conditions of transportation and detention during travel, constitute cruel and degrading treatment" , his lawyers protested to the court, saying they feared for their client's life.

Russian prison services did not respond to requests from Reuters.

The Kremlin demands "absolute silence" on the fate of Evan Gershkovich

The Kremlin on Thursday stressed the need for "absolute silence"on the fate of the American journalist from the Wall Street Journal, Evan Gershkovich, arrested on March 29, 2023 for espionage and since incarcerated in a prison near Moscow. The American administration, the reporter himself and his newspaper deny the allegations against him.

Moscow claims that the WSJ correspondent in Russia was arrested in flagrante delicto during a report in the Urals. Asked if he would face a trial or if he could be released as part of a prisoner exchange, a scenario mentioned by the Russian authorities, the Kremlin spokesperson responded during a press briefing: "We do not have any information on the court, it is not in our prerogatives".

"As for an exchange, we have repeatedly emphasized that there are certain contacts, but that they must be carried out in absolute silence", a added Dmitry Peskov. Evan Gershkovich, 32, became the first American journalist to be detained on espionage charges in Russia since the Cold War.

A Moscow court on Tuesday extended his pre-trial detention by three months, until June 30.

Russia says it has proof of link between Moscow attack and "Ukrainian nationalists"

Russian authorities said Thursday they had found "evidence" that the perpetrators of the attack that more than 140 deaths at a Moscow suburb concert hall last week were linked to "Ukrainian nationalists".

Moscow pointed the finger at Ukraine in the wake of the attack, believing that Kiev was linked in one way or another to this attack, which the Ukrainian authorities deny. The Afghan branch of the Islamic State (IS) group claimed responsibility for the attack. The Russian National Investigative Committee announced in a press release that it had discovered initial evidence of Ukrainian involvement, without making it public.

Citing the interrogations of the "terrorists" who were arrested, the examination of electronic devices including these Russian investigators said they had established that the attackers were "linked to Ukrainian nationalists".

They claimed that the suspects, of Tajik nationality, received large sums of cash and cryptocurrency from Ukraine. In the first twenty-four hours following the attack, Russian authorities arrested 11 people. Eight of them, including the four alleged perpetrators of the attack, were detained pending trial.

The United States repeated Thursday that it had alerted Russia to the risk of an imminent attack by Islamist extremists.