War in Ukraine: FSB headquarters targeted by attack, nuclear war, three dead near Donetsk… update on the situation

magictr | March 13, 2024 | News | No Comments

The Ukrainian army in Donetsk on February 27, 2024. (illustration) MAXPPP – Hector Adolfo Quintanar Perez/Avalon

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Wednesday March 13, 2024, discover the latest news around this conflict.

FSB headquarters in Belgorod targeted by Ukrainian drone attack

The headquarters of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) in Belgorod, in the west of the country, was targeted by a drone attack launched by Ukrainian forces, the agency reported on Wednesday Tass which cites local authorities.

No casualties were reported but damage was noted on the building. kyiv also launched a new series of air attacks against several other Russian regions, once again targeting oil infrastructure.

"UAVs (drones, editor's note) attacked the Ryazan refinery", wrote on Telegram Alexander Gusev , the governor of the region of the same name, located south of that of Moscow. "A fire broke out there. According to the first information available, there are victims."

According to the Russian Defense Minister, 58 Ukrainian drones were shot down during this attack.

Russia is ready for nuclear war, Putin warns

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned the West on Wednesday that Russia was technically ready for nuclear war, and that if the United States sent troops to Ukraine, it would be considered a escalation in the conflict.

In an interview with Russian public media published on Wednesday, Vladimir Putin, however, said that this scenario was not on the agenda and that he would not did not see the need to use nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "From a military-technical point of view, we are obviously ready", the head of the Kremlin told the&# 39;s news agency RIA and the public television channel Rossiya-1.

He added that the United States understood that if it deployed troops on Russian territory or in Ukraine, Russia would consider that an intervention. "There are enough specialists in Russian-American relations and strategic restraint (in the United States). So, I think there is no rush (a nuclear conflict), but we are ready for it", said Vladimir Putin.

The Russian president indicated that if the United States carried out nuclear tests, Russia could do the same. Speaking before the presidential election, held from March 15 to 17 and which should give him a fifth term, Vladimir Putin however indicated that Russia had never been confronted with the need for resort to nuclear weapons in Ukraine. "Why would we need to resort to weapons of mass destruction ? This has never been the case."

The Russian President recalled that Russian nuclear doctrine provides for the use of nuclear weapons if the country is attacked using a nuclear weapon or mass destruction or if the use of conventional weapons "threatens the very existence of the Russian state". "Weapons exist to be used", he said. "We have our own principles."

Russia and the United States are the world's two largest nuclear powers, with both countries controlling more than 90% of the world's nuclear weapons. Vladimir Putin said Russia was ready for serious discussions on the Ukraine issue.

"Russia is ready for negotiations on Ukraine, but they should be based on reality, and not on crazy desires induced by the use of psychotropic drugs"< /em>, he said. The United States last month rejected Vladimir Putin's proposal for a ceasefire in Ukraine to freeze the conflict.

The Russian president also indicated that Russia was not interfering in any elections and would work with the American-elected leader, whoever that may be. "We do not interfere in any way in any election. And, as I have said repeatedly, we will work with any leader who has the trust of the American people, of the American voters."

Vladimir Putin said in February that he preferred Joe Biden to remain in power in Washington, rather than Donald Trump returning there. During the meeting, the Russian president also said he would deploy soldiers to the border with Finland, as the country joins the Treaty Organization of the United Nations. ;North Atlantic (NATO) in April 2023. "We didn't have any soldiers (on the border with Finland), now there will be some. There were no destruction systems, now there will be."

At least three dead during Russian attacks, according to kyiv

At least three people were killed in Russian drone attacks and shelling in the Sumy and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, local officials said Wednesday.< /p>

Russians dropped a bomb on the town of Myrnohrad in the Donetsk region, killing two and wounding five, local governor Vadym Filatchkin said on Telegram. The military administration of the Sumy region said that a Russian drone hit a residential building overnight.

A body has been removed from the rubble in Sumy and rescue operations are still underway, emergency services said on Telegram. Eight people were injured and other victims could still be buried under the rubble. Two apartment buildings caught fire after a Russian missile attack in the town of Kryvyi Rih in central Ukraine on Tuesday.

Local authorities counted five dead on Wednesday and at least 50 injured. President Volodymyr Zelensky, who was born and raised in the city, praised the rescue teams on Telegram and promised that Russia would be held accountable. Russian officials said Wednesday that Kiev launched a large drone attack for the second night in a row on Russian regions bordering Ukraine, again targeting energy facilities.

Ukraine will receive ammunition from the Czech initiative by June

Ukrainian forces will begin receiving artillery ammunition under a Czech-led initiative by June at the latest, it said on Wednesday a senior Czech official.

"The first deliveries of ammunition to Ukraine under the Czech initiative will take place no later than June", the adviser to the National Security, Tomas Pojar. Earlier on Wednesday, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitro Kuleba told a news conference in Kiev that munitions deliveries would begin in the foreseeable future. ;quot;.

Earlier this year, Prague had located 800,000 artillery shells available in third countries to supply to Ukraine and said last week having raised enough funds from its allies to purchase a first batch of 300,000 shells. "This week, we will contact our Czech colleagues, who will present us with a detailed supply plan", said Dmitro Kouleba.

The delivery of the shells will be staggered over the year, and discussions on financing similar initiatives are underway, he added. "The Czech initiative is excellent, but it's far from being sufficient", said Dmitro Kouleba. "If two more comparable initiatives are implemented this year, Russian troops in Ukraine will have more problems on the front.< /p>