The defense of Bakhmout is "
key
" for Kiev, that of Ukraine is not a "
vital
" interest for Trump, Russia will repress criticism of armed groups like Wagner...
Le Figaro
takes stock this Tuesday 14 march on the latest information related to the war in Ukraine.
To discover
Follow information on the war in Ukraine with the Figaro application
Bakhmout defense 'key' to 'frontline stability', kyiv says
The defense of Bakhmout is “
key
” to maintaining “
frontline stability
” in eastern Ukraine, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armed forces said on Tuesday, as fierce fighting continues for this symbolic city. .
“
The defensive operation in this direction is of paramount strategic importance to deter the enemy
,” Valery Zaloujny said on Telegram, quoted by his press service.
"
It is the key to the stability of the defense of the whole front
," he insisted, echoing similar recent remarks by President Volodymyr Zelensky who felt that the loss of Bakhmout could allow the Russians to attack and seize other nearby major cities.
»SEE ALSO – Bakhmout: near the epicenter of the fighting, the inhabitants take shelter in basements during the bombardments
Defending Ukraine, not a 'vital' US interest for Trump and his Republican rival
Donald Trump and his likely rival for the Republican nomination Ron DeSantis both claimed that defending Ukraine was not among the “
vital interests
” of the United States, according to a questionnaire published Monday evening.
“
We cannot put our commitment to a war abroad that is bogged down before the defense of our own homeland
”, judged Ron DeSantis, 44 years old and rising star of the American hard right, to the chain Fox News .
This is the first time that the governor of Florida, whose 2024 presidential candidacy is eagerly awaited in the Republican ranks, has also taken a concrete position on the conflict.
"
The United States has many vital interests, such as keeping our borders secure...but further engaging in a territorial dispute between Ukraine
and Russia is not one of them
," he judged.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the JDAM, this guidance system delivered to kyiv which transforms bombs into missiles
Russia to crack down on criticism of armed groups like Wagner
Russian deputies voted on Tuesday a text punishing heavy prison sentences for "
discrediting
" armed groups like Wagner, a measure already in force concerning the Russian army and which serves to repress critics of the offensive in Ukraine.
The criminal sanctions punishing "
the fact of discrediting the armed forces of Russia are extended to the formations of volunteers, organizations and natural persons who provide assistance to the armed forces to carry out their mission
", indicated the Duma, the lower house of the Parliament, on its website.
Read alsoEvguéni Prigojine, a “geopolitical entrepreneur” at the head of Wagner
"
All those who today risk their lives to ensure the security of the country and its citizens are protected from provocations and lies
" with this law, estimated the president of the Duma, Vyacheslav Volodin, specifying that the "
sanctions will be heavy, up to 15 years of deprivation of liberty
”.
Private armed groups are at the heart of Russia's military posture in Ukraine.
The Wagner group, which notably recruited massively in Russian prisons, is thus leading the charge in Bakhmout, the epicenter of the fighting in eastern Ukraine.
” SEE ALSO – “I am coming out politically”: the head of Wagner says he wants to be a candidate for the presidential election in Ukraine
Tensions in
Ukraine
around a famous Orthodox monastery in Kiev
Ukraine's main Orthodox monastery, the Lavra of the Caves in Kiev, is at the center of new tensions in the midst of the Russian invasion, with the Ukrainian authorities demanding that the branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church which until recently claimed of the Moscow Patriarchate.
"
We have no intention of moving and we are not
going to," the head of the monastery, Metropolitan Pavlo Lebid, said in a video posted on Monday.
This Church, historically attached to the Patriarchate of Moscow while another branch of Ukrainian Orthodoxy has attached itself to the Patriarchate of Constantinople, announced in May the breaking of its ties with Russia.
But the Ukrainian government has not recognized this decision, considering that it remains de facto dependent on the Russian Church.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also gave him his support on Monday, deeming the decision of the Ukrainian authorities “
inadmissible
”.
As for the Russian patriarch Kirill, he had condemned on Saturday the "
state pressure
" on this branch of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, according to his press service.
Read alsoIn Ukraine, the monastery of Sviatohirsk, spiritual front line between kyiv and Moscow
Russian anti-war poets charged with threatening state security
Three Russian poets, imprisoned after taking part in a reading against the conflict in Ukraine, have been accused of threatening "
state security
" and charged, the lawyer for one of the accused told AFP on Tuesday. .
According to this lawyer, Leonid Solovyov, the three young men are being prosecuted for "
public calls to commit activities against state security
", but also for "
incitement to hatred
" in an "
organized group
".
They face a total of ten years in prison for these two counts, said the lawyer.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: Lithuania provides radars to kyiv
Artiom Kamardin, Yegor Shtovba and Nikolai Daïneko were arrested in September after taking part in a reading in Moscow on Mayakovsky Square, a place where dissidents have gathered since the Soviet period.
During this reading, Artiom Kamardine had recited a poem, “
Kill me, militiaman!
», very hostile to pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.
The following day, Artiom Kamardine was arrested during a search of his home during which he claimed to have been beaten and raped with a dumbbell by the police.
In November, Artiom Kamardine's companion, Alexandra Popova, told AFP that she had also suffered violence and threats of rape during this search.