Moscow which evokes a possible disinformation campaign after the leak of American documents, terror after the presumed beheading of a Ukrainian soldier, Russia which carries out a test firing of an "advanced" ICBM... Le Figaro
makes
the update on the conflict in Ukraine this Wednesday, April 12.
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Terror after the alleged beheading of a Ukrainian soldier
A new video showing the beheading of a suspected Ukrainian prisoner of war angered Ukraine on Wednesday.
AFP was unable to immediately verify the authenticity of the video, or where and when it may have been filmed.
Ukrainian authorities have said they are trying to identify the victim.
The UN mission in Kiev said it was
"horrified"
by these images demanding an investigation.
The UN representation also refers to a second video showing the mutilated bodies of Ukrainian prisoners.
“How easily these monsters kill.
This video of the execution of a Ukrainian prisoner of war, the world must see it.
It's a video of Russia as it is."
launched President Zelensky in a video address posted on Instagram.
The EU will hold
"all perpetrators and accomplices of war crimes to account"
in Ukraine, a spokeswoman for the head of European diplomacy said on Wednesday.
Read alsoVideo of a beheaded prisoner: the Kremlin wants to verify the “authenticity” of these “horrible images”
The head of Ukrainian diplomacy Dmytro Kouleba estimated that Russia was
“worse than the Islamic State”
, a jihadist organization which filmed the executions of its hostages, in particular by beheading.
The Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) has opened an investigation into this
“war crime”.
"We will find these monsters (...) They will be punished"
, hammered the head of the SBU Vassyl Maliouk in a press release.
On the Russian side, the spokesperson for the Russian presidency, Dmitry Peskov, also described the images as
"horrible",
but questioned their veracity.
"In the world of ''fakes'' in which we live, we must ensure the authenticity of this video"
, he added.
The video, one minute forty seconds of footage, has been circulating since Tuesday.
In this one, a man in camouflage, his face masked, slices the neck of another man in uniform who is struggling on the ground.
After a few seconds, the screams stop and we hear a man behind the camera inciting the executioner in Russian to
"cut off the head"
of the victim.
The latter finishes his decapitation with a knife, and shows the severed head to the camera.
Read alsoVideo of a presumed Ukrainian prisoner beheaded: the UN says it is “horrified”, the EU “will demand accountability”
Leaked documents: Moscow evokes a possible American disinformation campaign
Moscow said on Wednesday that the leak of classified American documents on the conflict in Ukraine could in fact be made up of
"false"
aimed at
"deceiving"
Russia as part of a disinformation campaign by Washington.
At this stage,
"we have no position (...) Maybe it's a" fake ", a deliberate intox"
, reacted the Russian Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Ryabkov, quoted by Russian news agencies.
“Since the United States is an integral part of the conflict (in
Ukraine) and is actually waging a hybrid war against us, such methods are possible to deceive the enemy, that is, the Federation of Russia”
, he further argued.
For his part, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters on Wednesday that Russia did not know at this stage
“the level of authenticity of the documents”.
Read alsoUnited States: the Pentagon victim of a massive leak of confidential documents
Western agents in
Ukraine: London fears misinformation, Paris denies
Paris on Wednesday denied the deployment of French forces in Ukraine.
“There are no French forces engaged in operation in
Ukraine.
The documents cited do not come from the French armies and are subject to caution
,” the French Ministry of the Armed Forces told AFP.
“We do not comment on documents whose source and veracity are uncertain
,” he added.
On Tuesday evening, on Twitter, a spokesperson for the British Ministry of Defense had declared that
"the leak of what is presented as classified American information, which has received wide coverage, (had) demonstrated a serious level of inaccuracy ".
“Readers should be careful before relying on claims that have the potential to spread misinformation
,” he added.
British media, including the BBC and
the Guardian
, quoted a document, dated March 23, referring to the deployment in Ukraine of 50 members of British special forces alongside counterparts from other Western countries, including France.
According to
the Guardian,
the document suggests that half of the Western special forces present in Ukraine between February and March would be British.
Read alsoThe Pentagon investigates leaks of confidential documents concerning Ukraine
Russia conducts test firing of 'advanced' ICBM
Russia conducted a test launch of an
“advanced”
intercontinental ballistic missile on Tuesday , weeks after announcing the suspension of its participation in the nuclear disarmament treaty which binds it to the Americans.
A
"combat" unit successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)"
from the Kapustin Yar test site, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
"The missile's training warhead hit a fictitious target at the Sary Shagan training ground (Republic of Kazakhstan)
," the statement added, without specifying the type of ICBM used.
However, the ministry clarified that the purpose of the exercise was
“to test advanced combat equipment”.
"This launch confirmed the accuracy of the design of circuits and technical solutions used in the development of new strategic missile systems
," said the same source.
Read alsoRussia conducts test firing of “advanced” ICBM
The Russian Parliament validates the rules facilitating mobilization
The upper house of the Russian parliament voted on Wednesday a law facilitating the mobilization of Russians in the army, a text validated in two days by the legislator and which now awaits the signature of Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin denies that this is the beginning of a new mobilization of reservists for the Ukrainian front.
According to the new law, a reservist can now be mobilized electronically, via a portal of the Russian public services, or even if the order is given to a third party.
Until then, invitations had to be delivered by hand.
Many Russians who could be mobilized have so far escaped summons by no longer going to their official address.
This should soon no longer be possible.
The Duma (lower house) adopted the text at a run,
Read also Complaints from Russian soldiers in Ukraine: “The Kremlin is attentive because it knows the unpopular mobilization”
Moscow admits not allowing consular visit for imprisoned US journalist
Russian diplomacy admitted on Wednesday that it had still not authorized a representative of the American consulate to go to prison to see journalist Evan Gershkovich, arrested while reporting in Russia and whom Moscow accuses of being a spy.
"We are examining the question",
replied laconically the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergei Riabkov, to the Russian agencies who asked him if the journalist would be able to receive a visit from a representative of his embassy, nearly two weeks after his arrest. .
He also swept aside Washington's decision to qualify the imprisonment of Evan Gershkovich as
"arbitrary detention",
a qualification which allows the case to be entrusted to the American special envoy for hostages.
“We don't accept any attempt at pressure, it doesn't matter to us the status that was given to him in Washington,”
Sergei Ryabkov said.
Read alsoIn Russia, an arrest of an American journalist reminiscent of the Cold War
Ukraine
wants 'stronger and closer relationship' with India
Ukraine wants to establish a
"stronger and closer relationship"
with India, India's foreign ministry said Wednesday after a visit by Ukraine's deputy foreign minister to New Delhi.
Representatives of the two countries held their first talks on this occasion since the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Ukrainian diplomat Emine Dzhaparova
"emphasized Ukraine's desire
to build a more stronger and closer with India"
, writes the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a press release.
The Ukrainian Deputy Minister had talks with officials from the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on global issues of mutual interest, economy, defense and even humanitarian aid, the same source said.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: India begins to lose patience and urges Russia to end it
London sanctions relatives of Russian oligarchs
The United Kingdom announced sanctions against relatives of Russian oligarchs on Wednesday.
Among the targets of these new British sanctions are Demetris Ioannides and Christodoulos Vassiliades, two Cypriot nationals.
According to London, the first is at the origin of offshore structures used by Roman Abramovich to conceal 760 million pounds sterling (863 million euros) before being sanctioned in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine at the end of February 2022. The British sanctions also target several structures of Alisher Ousmanov's network, as well as members of the family circle of other oligarchs.
Read alsoIn “Londongrad”, the Russian oligarchs are resisting
“There is nowhere to hide
,” UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly warned in a statement, saying the UK will cut off
the “Russian elite”
from holdings that its members
“thought they had succeeded in to hide”
.
London claims to have frozen more than 18 billion pounds sterling (20.4 billion euros) of Russian assets since the start of the invasion in Ukraine.
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