This Thursday, President Volodymyr Zelensky and his military cabinet are in Kharkiv, amid a Russian offensive in the region.
Kyiv has accused Russia of detaining and executing civilians in the region, which Moscow’s forces have attacked.
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More than two years of war in Ukraine
Power outages = blackout
According to the office of Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, numerous power outages are expected in the country until at least next August. Questioned? Bombings in recent days on several power plants have reduced the country’s energy efficiency. A tough situation that could continue in the coming months, the same source noted Independence of Kieva winter”Definitely difficult“Next year.
A wounded army chief
According to Ukrainian officials, the military chief of the Vovchansk administration, which was targeted by the Russian offensive, was wounded in a strike.
Kharkiv: Russia accused of civilian detention and execution
Ukraine’s interior minister on Thursday accused the Russian military of arbitrarily detaining and executing civilians in the town of Vovsansk, in the Kharkiv region (northeast), which has been under attack for a week. “According to the reports of the intelligence services, the Russian army, which is trying to gain a foothold in the city, does not allow residents to evacuate: they have started kidnapping people to take them to cellars,” said Minister Igor Klymenko, who also disclosed information about the “first execution of civilians” by the Russian army.
Russia and China want to avoid “escalation” in Ukraine
Russia and China vowed on Thursday to avoid further “escalation” in Ukraine, half-heartedly pointing to Western responsibility, according to a joint statement issued by the Kremlin after a meeting in Beijing between Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping. The text says Beijing and Moscow “need” to avoid any decision that would “contribute to the prolongation of hostilities and further escalation of the conflict”, which appears to target Europeans and Americans, as the Kremlin continues to say. Arms supplies to Ukraine from the West prolong the war.
Putin against “closed” alliance in Asia-Pacific
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday viewed any “closed” political and military alliance as “harmful” in the Asia-Pacific region, where its Chinese ally competes with US rival, which cooperates with Australia and the United Kingdom. Beijing.
“There is no place for closed military-political alliances. We believe that forming such alliances is very harmful and counterproductive,” he told a press conference in Beijing with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on the first day of a state of emergency. arrival
Russia’s record area gains in a year and a half
The Russian army took 278 km² in eastern Ukraine in a week, mainly in the Kharkiv region, making the biggest gains in Ukrainian territory in a year and a half, according to an AFP study on Thursday, based on data provided by the American Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Between 9 and 15 May, 257 km² were captured in the Kharkiv (northeast) region alone, with Moscow capturing several areas as the centerpiece of the Russian offensive. The other 21 square kilometers won by the Russian army were at different points on the front line, including the symbolic village of Robotine in the south of the country.
Putin “grateful” Taxi Xi Jinping
Vladimir Putin visits China and says he is “thankful” for Beijing’s “efforts” at peace over the conflict in Ukraine, which was occupied by the Russian military two years ago. “We are grateful to our Chinese friends and colleagues for their efforts to resolve this issue,” the Russian president announced alongside his counterpart, Xi Jinping. Beijing, which has never condemned Russia, has insisted on respecting the territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, while considering the concerns of its Russian ally.
Ukraine stopped the Russian “advance”.
The Ukrainian military indicated on Thursday morning that it had stopped Russian “advances” in parts of the Kharkiv region (northeast), where Russia launched a surprise attack on May 10, occupying new territories.
“The situation in the Kharkiv sector is complex and dynamically developing. Our defense forces have managed to stabilize the situation to some extent, the enemy’s advance has stopped in some areas and regions, but he is still trying to create conditions for progress,” the spokesman of the Ukrainian forces in the region, Nazar Voloshin, pointed out on television.
“Political Solution”
China and Russia agree that a “political solution” is needed to the conflict in Ukraine, Chinese President Xi Jinping said after talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Beijing.
“Both sides agree that a political solution to the crisis in Ukraine is the way forward,” Xi announced, speaking to reporters alongside Putin.
We take stock
– Russian breakthrough : Vladimir Putin yesterday welcomed advances by the Russian military in Ukraine, which it said had captured swathes of territory in the Kharkiv region (northeast), where it has been waging an offensive for a week.
– Russian media : EU member states agreed yesterday to allow four Russian media outlets accused of spreading pro-Kremlin propaganda, defying warnings from Moscow that it had threatened retaliation against Western media outlets.
– China-Russia : Vladimir Putin, during his meeting with Chinese Premier Xi Jinping in Beijing today, stressed that the relationship between his country and China is a factor of “stability”.
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Welcome to this live broadcast dedicated to the war in Ukraine after the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022. Here you can find the latest information and strong images related to this conflict.
The goal for Vladimir Putin is clear. The Russian president arrives in China on Thursday, May 16, to meet with “dear friend” Xi Jinping, who is trying to convince him to give more support to the Russian war effort in Ukraine. The Kremlin leader was greeted by Chinese officials and an honor guard as he stepped off the plane in Beijing at around 4:30 a.m. Thursday (8:30 p.m. GMT Wednesday), according to images broadcast on Russian television. His place in the black limousine.
The two-day visit was Vladimir Putin’s first foreign trip since his re-election in March and his second to China in six months. The Asian giant is an important economic lifeline for Russia, which has been hit by heavy Western sanctions imposed to punish it for its military offensive in Ukraine. Xi Jinping, returning from a tour of France, Serbia and Hungary, defended his right to maintain normal economic relations with his Russian neighbors. China especially benefits from cheap Russian energy imports.
The two countries celebrated in early 2022, shortly before the invasion of Ukraine erupted, describing the bilateral partnership as “boundless”. “This is Putin’s first visit since his inauguration, so it is intended to show that Sino-Russian relations are moving to another level” Independent Russian researcher Konstantin Kalachev told AFP. “Not forgetting the sincere personal friendship that can be found between the two leaders.”
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Ukraine’s ‘dirty bomb’: Russia regurgitates old accusations
But these close ties are viewed with growing skepticism among Westerners. The US is threatening to ban foreign companies, especially banks, that work with Russia. The Kremlin said this week that the two leaders would hold talks “Key areas of development of Russian-Chinese cooperation, while exchanging their views on international and regional issues”.
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