War in Ukraine: Russian drone attack, a promise from Biden, arrests for sabotage for kyiv's benefit… an update on the situation

Every day, Midi Libre takes stock of the situation in Ukraine. This Thursday, September 26, 2024, discover the latest news about this conflict.

New Russian drone attack on Ukraine

Russia launched an airstrike on Ukraine on Thursday night, September 26, killing at least one person and damaging critical infrastructure, according to authorities. The Ukrainian Air Force announced that it had destroyed 66 drones and four cruise missiles launched by Russia during the night from Wednesday to Thursday. A total of 78 Iranian-designed drones and six missiles were launched toward several regions of the country, she said.

In Odessa, southern Ukraine, a woman was killed in a missile strike and eight people were injured in a guided bomb attack on the southeastern city of Zaporizhzhia, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said on social media. Ukrainian air defenses shot down at least five drones on the outskirts of Kyiv and explosions rang out in the city early on Thursday, according to Reuters journalists.

Air raid warnings remain active in the capital and much of the central part of the country. The head of the Kyiv military administration, Serhi Popko, reported some damage to civilian infrastructure caused by drones. About 20 cars and a gas pipeline in a residential area were damaged, he said. Debris was also found in a children's playground.

Parts of the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk were left without power after a Russian strike on critical infrastructure, the region's governor, Svitlana Onishchuk, said.

Biden promises Zelensky that “Russia will not prevail”

Joe Biden pledged Thursday that Russia would “does not carry” the war in Ukraine, during a visit by Volodymyr Zelensky to the White House. "Russia will not win", the American leader declared from the Oval Office, 39 days before the American presidential election which promises to be extremely close, and on which the future of support for Kiev depends.

In order to'"help Ukraine win this war", the American president announced on Thursday morning an "increase in security aid", without however mentioning the green light hoped for by kyiv for to fire long-range missiles manufactured in the United States towards Russia. Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed this announcement which, according to him, will promote "victory"of his country in the war that Russia is waging against him.

Arrest of six Russians accused of sabotage for the benefit of kyiv

The Russian security services (FSB) announced this Thursday the arrest of six people including three teenagers, the youngest born in 2009, whom they accuse of having set fire to railway and communication infrastructures on behalf of Ukraine. Since the start of the military offensive in Ukraine, Russian authorities have increased the number of arrests for espionage, treason or collaboration with Ukraine as part of a vast campaign of repression.

The FSB said it had arrested six Russian citizens“involved in arson attacks on railway and communications infrastructure”, without further details on the sites allegedly targeted. They are accused of “terrorism” and “high treason”, and risk prison sentences of up to life, according to the Russian services.

Three are minors, including one born in 2007 and another in 2009, according to the same source. The FSB claims that the suspects were “recruited by the Ukrainian secret service” for a fee of 10,000 to 15,000 rubles, or about 100 to 150 euros. A video, broadcast by state media, shows FSB agents pinning young men to the ground before loading them into a white van.

One is being questioned while handcuffed, face down on the ground. Another, with a swollen cheek, says he was contacted via Telegram, a popular messaging service, to commit arson. In the footage, the suspects only talk about setting fires to telephone relay antennas. One claims that their contact had passed on instructions to concoct explosives to carry out larger-scale attacks, such as against trains. They were arrested in the regions of Irkutsk, Nizhny Novgorod and Samara, all far from the Ukrainian border.