Restoration of electricity after the new Russian missile strikes which caused power cuts across the country, denunciation of "
war crimes
" by the European Union...
Le Figaro
takes stock this Saturday, December 17 on the latest information related to the war in Ukraine.
To discover
Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application
The European Union denounces a "blind terror"
The head of European diplomacy Josep Borrell condemned this new "
example of the blind terror of the Kremlin
", "
cruel and inhuman attacks
" against the population which "
constitute war crimes
".
The EU has also approved new sanctions targeting Moscow which notably prohibit the export of drone engines to Russia or third countries able to supply them.
For its part, France condemned the Russian bombardments on Friday.
"
These acts constitute war crimes and in no way weaken France's determination to support Ukraine and fight against impunity
," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the difficult estimate of the damage attributable to Russian aggression
Faced with a series of military setbacks this fall, Russia has opted since October for a tactic of massive strikes aimed at destroying Ukraine's electrical networks and transformers, plunging millions of civilians into cold and darkness in the dead of winter. .
A total of 74 missiles -- mostly cruise missiles -- were fired by Russia on Friday, 60 of which were shot down by air defense, according to the Ukrainian military.
Ukraine strives to restore electricity
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that kyiv and fourteen regions had been affected by power or water cuts.
He called for Western "
increasing pressure
" on the Kremlin and delivering more air defense systems to Ukraine.
Throughout the country, interventions are underway to restore electricity.
“
Our engineers and repair crews have already started work during the air strike and are doing everything possible to restore power generation and supply.
That takes time.
But it will be done
,” the Ukrainian president said.
In kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitchko said that only a third of the inhabitants had water and heating, and 40% electricity.
Three people died following a Russian strike which hit a residential building in Kryvyi Rig (south), according to the regional governor.
With this new wave of Russian bombardments on Friday, “
it may take longer than before to restore electricity
”, alerted the national electricity operator Ukrenergo on Facebook, which specified that “
electricity (would be) provided in priority to essential infrastructure: hospitals, water services, heating installations, wastewater treatment plants
”.
Read also In search of corpses, with the volunteers of Tulipe noire: the story of the special envoy of Figaro in Ukraine
In Kharkiv (north-east), the second largest city in the country, the authorities announced in the evening that they had restored power to 55%.
According to regional governor Oleg Sinegoubov, 85% of the region's inhabitants had access to electricity on Friday evening.
For their part, pro-Russian authorities in the eastern Lugansk region accused Ukrainian forces of artillery fire on two localities, killing 11 and wounding 17 on Friday.
Wood stove in Bakhmout
In the city of Bakhmout, which Moscow is tirelessly trying to conquer, a semi-trailer truck came to deliver some 200 wood-burning stoves, which were then distributed to residents by volunteers, AFP noted.
Oleksandra, 85, came to get medicine.
"
I will survive the winter, I will walk more to warm myself up, I heard about a heating point but I think it is not something well organized
," she told AFP.
Not far away, in Kramatorsk, the power was cut at the end of the afternoon and the population no longer had access to the telephone network, AFP noted.
Putin-Lukashenko Summit
Russian and Belarusian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Alexander Lukashenko are due to meet in Minsk on Monday for a summit intended to further strengthen their alliance.
Belarus, Russia's only ally in this war, loaned its territory to enable the Russian assault on kyiv at the start of the invasion on February 24.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: France becomes the third largest contributor in the world
According to Alexander Lukashenko, the summit will be "
above all (devoted) to the economic sphere
", but the two leaders will also talk about "
the politico-military situation around (their) countries
".
In an interview published on Thursday, Ukrainian army commander-in-chief Valery Zaluzhny said he was convinced that Russia would attempt a new attack on kyiv in the first months of 2023.
Putin holds talks with officials of Russian operation in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin has held talks with those responsible for the Russian military operation in Ukraine, the Kremlin announced on Saturday, as Ukrainian territory is targeted by massive Russian bombardment.
"
Friday, the president spent the whole day at the headquarters of the forces involved in the special military operation
" in Ukraine, the Kremlin said in a statement.
The Russian Head of State notably "
held a meeting
" there with the participation of the Minister of Defense, Sergei Shoigu, and the Chief of the Russian General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, and "
had separate meetings with the commanders
" of the various branches of the army involved in the operation, according to the same source.
"
I would like to hear your proposals on our actions in the short and medium term
," said Mr. Putin, during the meeting, extracts from which were broadcast on Saturday by Russian public television.
A long war
For his part, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg warned that Moscow was preparing for a long war against Ukraine in which the Alliance's allies must continue to supply weapons until Vladimir Putin realizes that he “
cannot win on the battlefield
”.
“
We should not underestimate Russia.
She is preparing for a long war
,” Jens Stoltenberg told AFP.
"
We see that they are mobilizing more forces, that they are ready to take a lot of losses as well, that they are trying to get access to more weapons and ammunition
."
