War in Ukraine: the Forges de Tarbes, “state of war”, major Russian strikes… an update on the situation

Une explosion à Kharkiv en Ukraine le 22 mars 2024. MAXPPP – SERGEY KOZLOV

Tous les jours, Midi Libre fait le point sur la situation en Ukraine. Ce vendredi 22 mars 2024, découvrez les dernières actualités autour de ce conflit.

Paris and Berlin agree on the development of the "tank of the future"

France and Germany, at odds over aid to Ukraine, displayed a united front on Friday March 22 by sealing the terms of the & nbsp;"char of the future" and by announcing the upcoming establishment of a factory of the KNDS Defense holding company in Ukraine.

The MGCS aims to replace the German Leopard 2 tanks and the French Leclerc tanks. After signing a joint roadmap last September, the German Minister of Defense, Boris Pistorius, and the French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, announced during a meeting in Berlin a agreement on the distribution of tasks between the two countries for this ambitious project, the completion of which is set for 2040-2045.

The objective is to replace the French Rafale and the German and Spanish Eurofighter by 2040, but the program has suffered numerous delays, notably due to disagreements between the French Dassault and the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus, which represents the German and Spanish parties. Military aid to Ukraine also figured prominently in the discussions, with Boris Pistorius and Sébastien Lecornu announcing the creation of a subsidiary of the Franco-German company KNDS in Ukraine.

"As production capacities move closer to the front line, that means less logistics and reliability in the ability to supply the Ukrainian armed forces", underlined Sébastien Lecornu. The Ministry of the Armed Forces is told that the Ukrainian subsidiary of KNDS will subsequently be able to produce "complete weapons systems".

The Forges of Tarbes, which supply the shells for the Caesar cannons from Occitanie, in the turmoil

The only French company capable of producing shell bodies is located in Occitanie. The 26,000 square meter industrial site exports weapons to Ukraine from the Hautes-Pyrénées.

An "essential link in the production of’artillery shells". In a press release published on March 14, Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu praised the importance of weapons production on the Hautes-Pyrénées site.

The Forges de Tarbes produce 155 millimeter artillery shells, and not just any shells:  those of the Caesar cannons from the Nexter company.

Taking stock of the company's activities, the minister wanted to ensure that the Forges de Tarbes responded well to " Ukraine's expectations in terms of ammunition delivery and will continue its plan to increase its production".

The purpose of Sébastien Lecornu's trip was to "ensure that the entire ammunition production chain, from the supply of elements basic, raw materials, and up to their manufacturing, is operational", notes the press release.

Russia intensifies strikes on Ukraine's power grid

Russia carried out its largest air attack against the Ukrainian electricity network overnight from Thursday to Friday, killing at least three people, Kiev authorities said. A strike notably targeted the largest Ukrainian dam, in Zaporizhia, the Ukrainian public hydroelectricity company announced on Friday, while the Kharkiv electricity network was targeted by Russian fire.

"Russia hit Ukrainian energy facilities on Friday, and military systems on Friday. All objectives have been achieved", declared the Russian Defense Ministry, cited by the RIA agency. This attack on Ukraine's energy infrastructure was the most significant since the start of the war, Energy Minister German Galushchenko said. " The goal is not simply to destroy, but to once again try to cause a massive blackout of the Ukrainian energy system", the minister added on Facebook .

"Russia has launched the most significant offensive on Ukraine's energy system since the invasion began", confirmed the head of the electricity network operator UkrEnergo, Volodimir Koudritsky, who reported power cuts in seven regions. According to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko, at least two people were killed and 14 injured across the country. Three other people are missing.

Zaporizhia Governor Ivan Fedorov told Ukrainian television that a third person had been killed in his region. The French Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported three deaths and 22 injured during a press briefing. Some 1.2 million people in at least four regions were left without power after the attacks, according to figures posted on Telegram by presidential adviser Oleksiy Kouleba, including 700,000 people in the Kharkiv region.

Russia fired 88 missiles and 63 Shahed drones, but only 37 and 55 of them, respectively, were shot down, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. This failure could reflect widespread use of hypersonic and ballistic missiles that are more difficult to shoot down. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has urged his Western allies to provide more air defenses in recent days, condemned the attack. Work is underway to restore electricity supply to nine regions, he added.

"The whole world clearly understands what targets are chosen by Russian terrorists: power plants and the electricity grid, a hydroelectric dam, simple residential buildings and even a trolleybus", wrote Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram.

The DniproHES dam, located in the Zaporizhia region, however, is not in danger of collapsing, the company added. The dam was hit eight times, a member of the prosecutor general's office, Yuriy Belousov, told Ukrainian television. "A fire broke out in the building. Rescuers and dam employees are managing the consequences of several airstrikes", detailed the energy group.

Thermal power plants operated by DTEK, the country's leading private energy company, were also affected, the company said. Furthermore, around fifteen detonations were heard Friday morning in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, according to Mayor Ihor Terekhov, and Russian missile fire, which seemed to target the city's electricity network, caused partial power outages.

Some of the city's water pumps stopped working due to the attacks. Explosions were heard in Kryvyi Rih, in central Ukraine, said Oleksandr Vilkoul, the town's mayor, without providing details. In Vinnytsia, a city also located in central Ukraine, a "critical infrastructure" was damaged, according to Mayor Serhi Borzov.

The administration of the city of Zaporizhia, in southern Ukraine, also reported eight missile attacks. The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday the capture of Myrne, a village in the region.

Russia is in "state of war"

Russia considers itself in a "state of war" in Ukraine due to the intervention of Western countries, the Kremlin said on Friday.

"We are in a state of war. Yes, (the invasion of Ukraine) started as a special military operation, but as soon as the West became a participant in the conflict and on the Ukrainian side, it became a war for us", Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the weekly "Argumenty i Fakty" ("facts and arguments").

Dmitry Peskov clarified that Russia could not allow a state capable of doing anything to take control of Crimea, considered an integral part of Russia by Moscow, to exist on its borders.