The death toll from the war is falling. A maximum of 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded their country in February, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday. On the opposing side, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in September that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the conflict on February 24.
On the diplomatic level, the American and French presidents have shown their desire to seek a solution together. The tenant of the White House said he was “ready” Thursday to speak with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin if the latter “seeks a way to end the war” in Ukraine.
A maximum of 13,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded their country in February, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Thursday. “We have official estimates from the general staff (…) They range from 10,000 (…) to 13,000 dead,” said Mykhailo Podolyak, one of Mr. Zelensky’s advisers. , on the Ukrainian channel Channel 24. According to him, the head of state will make public the official data “when the time is right”.
When Russian forces fought in June to completely take over the Lugansk region in eastern Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky said his country was losing “60 to 100 soldiers a day, killed in action, and around 500 people injured in action”. On the opposing side, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in September that 5,937 Russian soldiers had been killed since the start of the conflict on February 24. These figures cannot be confirmed from independent sources.
Russian forces reportedly struck the city of Zaporizhia in southeastern Ukraine overnight. Zaporizhia Mayor Anatoly Kurtev announced the attack on Telegram early this morning. As a result of the enemy attack, the building of the infrastructure object is on fire. The shock wave blew the windows of neighboring houses.
Kurtev said emergency services are on the scene and the victims are not yet known. Zaporizhia’s administrative head, Oleksandr Starukh, posted an update on Telegram this morning, writing: “Tonight the enemy again launched a rocket attack on Zaporizhia. Its objective was the destruction of industrial infrastructure and energy from the regional center. As a result, a fire broke out. According to available data, there are no casualties.”
Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin on Friday gave a “very honest” assessment of Europe’s capabilities in the light of Russia’s war against Ukraine, stating bluntly that it is “not strong enough “to stand alone against Moscow. On a visit to Australia, the leader of the candidate country for NATO membership underlined that Russia’s invasion and occupation of neighboring Ukraine revealed Europe’s weaknesses and strategic errors in the face of Moscow. “I have to be very honest (…) with you, Europe is not strong enough at the moment, we would be in trouble without the United States”, she pointed to the Lowy Institute, a Sydney-based think tank.
Hanna Marin insisted that Ukraine must be helped by “all means”, adding that the United States played a central role in supplying kyiv with the weapons, financial means and humanitarian aid necessary to to curb Russia’s advance. “We have to make sure that we are also building up those capabilities in terms of European defence, European defense industry and that we can deal with different kinds of situations,” she said. .
Joe Biden and Emmanuel Macron expressed their desire in Washington on Thursday to seek a solution together in Ukraine, but without cutting back on their support for kyiv, during a state visit overflowing with diplomatic affection. “I am ready to talk to Putin if he is looking for a way to end the war. He has not done so yet,” said the American president during a joint press conference with his French counterpart in the middle. of day.
He also stressed that any discussion with the Russian president would be done “in consultation with my French and NATO friends”. “We will remain united to (us) oppose the brutality” of Russia in Ukraine, the 80-year-old democrat said again, as the conflict enters its tenth month, and especially in a harsh winter season.
French President Emmanuel Macron assured Thursday that he would “never push the Ukrainians to accept a compromise that would be unacceptable to them” concerning Russian aggression, because that would not make it possible to build “a lasting peace”. During a press conference alongside his American counterpart Joe Biden, he thanked the United States for the assistance provided to kyiv and warned against any “abandonment” of Ukraine which, according to him, would endanger , “global stability”.
The US government announced Thursday that it has approved the sale of portable Stinger anti-aircraft missiles to Finland, valued at $380 million, as the traditionally non-aligned country prepares to join NATO. The Finnish government wishes to acquire 350 Stinger missiles, worn on the shoulder, and their equipment. This sale of sensitive equipment had previously to be approved by the US government, said the cooperation agency of the US Department of Defense.
If confirmed, this sale “will improve Finland’s defense and deterrence capabilities,” the statement said. “This crucial weaponry will bolster ground and air defense capabilities on Europe’s eastern flank and support US Army European Command priorities.” Washington already approved on Monday the sale of more than 80 precision missiles to Helsinki for a total amount of 323 million dollars. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Finland and Sweden submitted a joint bid to join the Atlantic Alliance in May, abandoning decades of military non-alignment.
Ukraine will limit the activities on its territory of religious organizations affiliated with Russia and question the status of the Orthodox Church dependent on the Moscow Patriarchate, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced on Thursday. “The National Security and Defense Council has instructed the government to propose to the Verkhovna Rada (parliament, editor’s note) a bill to make impossible the activities in Ukraine of religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in Russia”, a Mr. Zelensky said in his evening video address.
According to Volodymyr Zelensky, the Ukrainian state will also “have to ensure the religious expertise of the status of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the presence of a canonical link with the Moscow Patriarchate and, if necessary, take the measures provided for by the law”. These measures follow searches carried out in November by the Ukrainian security services in the main monastery of the capital kyiv, place of residence of the primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, and several other places of worship, amid suspicions of links with Moscow.
Italy’s new far-right government on Thursday issued a decree endorsing the continued supply of arms to Ukraine in 2023, continuing the policy of the previous administration. The decree extends until December 31, 2023 the authorization of “transfer of means, materials and military equipment to the governmental authorities of Ukraine”, according to a press release. Since taking office in October, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, leader of the post-fascist Fratelli d’Italia party, has reiterated her support for Kyiv and the importance of the Atlantic Alliance.
In her first speech to parliament, she promised to “continue to be a reliable NATO partner in supporting Ukraine”. His predecessor Mario Draghi was a determined supporter of Ukraine, but the issue of arms deliveries to kyiv divided the ruling coalition member 5 Star Movement, causing its fall and new elections which brought Giorgia Meloni to the government .