War in Ukraine: air attacks, 3 billion euros per year, Russian sentenced to 5 years in prison… update on the situation

Belgorod le 16 mars 2024. (illustration) MAXPPP – BELGOROD GOVERNOR HANDOUT

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce mercredi 20 mars 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Russie et Ukraine dénoncent des attaques aériennes

Russia and Ukraine said they repelled numerous air attacks Tuesday evening and Wednesday in areas near the border, prompting the evacuation of civilians.

Russian officials said air defense systems destroyed missiles and drones launched by Ukraine over the Belgorod, Kursk and Voronezh regions, close to the border with Ukraine. Drones were also shot down in the Saratov region in western Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin promised that Russia would punish Ukraine for the attacks and could create a buffer zone with more Ukrainian territory to protect Russia from Western shells. "The first thing to do is to guarantee our safety. There are several ways to do this, none of them are easy, but we will do it", declared Vladimir Putin on the occasion of a meeting in the Kremlin on Wednesday.

Russia controls just under 20% of Ukraine. Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to continue their advance into Ukraine after capturing the town of Avdiivka in February, as Ukrainian forces come under intense pressure on the front line. On the ground, Russian forces are pushing back Ukrainian soldiers, said the Russian Defense Ministry, which also announced the creation of two new armies.

"Groups of Russian troops continue to expel the enemy from its positions. The United States and its satellites are very concerned about the success of the Russian armed forces", Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told generals. Russia has recruited hundreds of thousands of soldiers, and will create two new armies and 30 new formations, 14 divisions and 16 brigades, added Sergei Shoigu, without specifying how many soldiers these formations would bring together, or where they would be deployed.

Intense Russian bombardment in the Sumy region in northeastern Ukraine has prompted Kiev to order the evacuation of civilians. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Russia's constant attacks on the Sumy region in his daily address.< /p>

Regional authorities said one person was killed in Velyka Pysarivka; where, according to local officials, some 200 people were evacuated last week. In northern Ukraine, a Russian missile struck an industrial zone in the city of Kharkiv on Wednesday, killing three people and injuring at least five others, local authorities said.

The strike also caused a serious fire in a printing house. "Preliminary data suggests it was a Russian cruise missile. A major fire is underway at the site of the attack", regional governor Oleh Synehoubov told Ukrainian television. Up to 10 people could be trapped under the rubble, the governor added.

EU offers to pay Ukraine up to 3 billion euros per year from frozen Russian assets

The European Commission proposed on Wednesday to pay up to three billion euros in aid each year to Ukraine from revenues from frozen assets of the Russian central bank held in Europe. The majority of this income, i.e. 90%, will be paid through the fund "European Peace Facility" which will allow Ukraine to purchase weapons.

The rest will finance the reconstruction of the country. The total amount of aid available to Kiev will depend on interest rates that affect returns on frozen Russian assets held in the EU, which total around 210 billion# 39;euros. Ukraine will also receive profits from the 25% tax that the Belgian government imposes on these revenues. In 2024, this tax should reach 1.7 billion euros, and 1.5 billion euros will be paid this year.

Once the Commission's proposal has been approved by the Member States, the aid will be paid in two installments each year, with a first tranche to be distributed in July. Custodians holding Russian assets will retain 3% of income to cover their costs and will temporarily set aside 10% to cover possible legal costs. This amount could be increased if necessary, specified the Commission.

After the war, these reserves will be paid to Ukraine if they have not been used. Russia is being held accountable for the massive damage it has caused, said European Commission Vice-President Valdis Dombrovski, adding that the EU had coordinated its decision with other G7 countries – United States, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan.

The EU is not currently considering confiscating Russian assets. "We insist, all assets must be confiscated", Ukrainian Prime Minister Denis Shmihal told the& #39;opportunity for a conference in Brussels.

Russian documentarian sentenced to 5 years in prison

This Wednesday, a Russian court sentenced a 36-year-old man to three years in prison. The suspect had posted messages online on social networks denouncing the actions of Vladimir Putin's army in several cities in Ukraine, reports AFP, cited by The Parisian.

He had published messages, described as "lies", on the massacres perpetrated by the ;Russian army, more precisely "massive assassinations of civilians", explains the daily. These facts would have taken place in spring 2022, during the months of March and April. The thirty-year-old had also made several films on the artist Alexandra Skotchilenko as well as the journalist Maria Ponomarenko, who are also serving prison sentences for criticizing the invasion launched by Vladimir Putin towards Kiev in February 2022.

Vsevolod Koroliov, who was arrested in July of that same year, according to the NGO Memorial, was found guilty of < em>"spreading false information" about the Russian army, by the Vyborsky District Court of St. Petersburg.