War in Ukraine: French military instructors, Spanish aid, Russian strike in the south of the country… update on the situation

Kharkiv le 27 mai 2024. MAXPPP – SERGEY KOZLOV

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce lundi 27 mai 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

L’armée ukrainienne annonce la venue d’instructeurs militaires français

The commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces announced Monday that he had signed the necessary documents for the arrival of French military instructors in Ukraine to train soldiers.

General Oleksandr Syrsky specified on Telegram messaging that he had a videoconference exchange, alongside the Ukrainian Minister of Defense Roustem Oumerov, with the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu. "I have already signed the documents which will allow the first French instructors to visit our training centers soon and to familiarize themselves with our infrastructure and our staff", declares the officer in a press release.

The French Ministry of the Armed Forces declared that military training on Ukrainian soil was "part of the projects discussed since the Conference on support for Ukraine& ;quot; met on February 26 in Paris by Emmanuel Macron. "Like all the projects discussed on this occasion, this track continues to be the subject of work with the Ukrainians, in particular to understand their exact needs", a-t -we told Reuters.

At least three dead and six injured in southern Ukraine

At least three people were killed and six others injured, including two teenagers, in a Russian strike Monday on Snigourivka, a village in Ukraine's southern Mykolaiv region, its governor, Vitaly Kim, announced.

"Three people were killed and six injured in a Russian attack on Snigourivka", he said on Telegram, specifying that among the injured are "a girl and a 17-year-old boy".

Russian response to Polish restrictions

Russia promised on Monday to take "retaliatory measures" against Poland after the announcement by Warsaw to impose restrictions on the travel of Russian diplomats on its soil, due to the "hybrid war" led by Moscow, according to Polish leaders.

"We […] will take retaliatory measures so that the Polish leaders, who are overcome by Russophobia, greatly regret the next anti-Russian measures taken& ;quot;, declared the spokesperson for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zakharova, quoted by Russian news agencies.

Zelensky receives one billion euros in military aid in Madrid

The head of the Spanish government Pedro Sanchez and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a bilateral security agreement on Monday during a visit by the latter to Madrid.

As part of this agreement, Spain will provide Ukraine with military equipment worth one billion euros throughout this year, shows a document consulted by Reuters. Upon his arrival on the tarmac of Barajas airport, Volodymyr Zelensky was welcomed by King Felipe VI of Spain, a sign of the importance of this visit, before subsequently meeting Pedro Sanchez .

According to the Spanish daily El Pais, around ten Patriot anti-aircraft missiles, 19 German-made Leopard 2A4 tanks and other Spanish-made weapons, such as anti-drone equipment and ammunition, appear in the agreement between the two countries.

The tanks, which have not been used for several years, must be completely overhauled with a view to their certification for combat, according to the daily, which cites anonymous sources close to the negotiations. Ten Leopard battle tanks have already been promised to kyiv. The services of the head of the Spanish government and the Spanish Ministry of Defense declined any comment on this information.