Statement by the head of NATO, meeting of the allies in Ramstein, new wave of Russian mobilization denied, accident in Belgorod...
Le Figaro
takes stock of the war in Ukraine on Friday 21 April.
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NATO chief 'confident' that kyiv can regain ground
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday he was “
confident
” that Ukraine, in the process of preparing a counter-offensive, could regain ground against the Russians.
"
I am confident that they (the Ukrainians, editor's note) will now be able to free up even more ground
," Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on the sidelines of a meeting of Ukraine supporters on the base. American from Ramstein, Germany.
“
One of the main issues discussed here today was going over the different capabilities, systems and supplies that the Ukrainians need to regain more ground
,” Jens Stoltenberg added.
About fifty representatives of countries supporting Ukraine are gathered on the base to coordinate aid to kyiv.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, April 21, 2023. HEIKO BECKER / REUTERS
Meeting of the allies at Ramstein
Ukraine's allies, pressed by Volodymyr Zelensky to deliver more weapons and ammunition, met this Friday in Germany to coordinate their military aid to Kiev, which says it is preparing a major counter-offensive.
Organized on the American base of Ramstein, in the south of Germany, by the American Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, the meeting also takes place in the presence of the boss of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, who has just returned from Kiev.
Jens Stoltenberg spoke there on Thursday April 20 with President Volodymyr Zelensky, who constantly calls on Westerners to deliver more armor, artillery, ammunition but also combat aircraft and firing systems. range to hit Russian warehouses, far behind the front line.
The meeting, where some fifty countries are represented, began with discussions between Lloyd Austin and his Ukrainian counterpart Oleksiï Reznikov, which the latter considered "
fruitful
".
A new Russian drone attack targeted kyiv overnight from Thursday to Friday, without causing any casualties.
"
All together, we will ensure that Ukraine has everything it needs to live in freedom
," said Lloyd Austin, ensuring that Western support for Kiev remained "
strong
".
The question
of "ammunition and air defense tools
" is at the heart of the day's discussions, he underlined.
Meeting of allies around US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, at the US air base in Ramstein, Germany, April 21, 2023. HEIKO BECKER / REUTERS
Russian father against the war
retains the right to raise his daughter
A father separated from his daughter for a drawing against the conflict in Ukraine has retained his parental authority over the latter, even if he has since been in prison, his lawyer announced on Friday, in this emblematic case of repression in Russia.
“
The legal complaint aimed at limiting the parental rights of Alexei (Moskaliov) has been withdrawn, the case is closed
,” his lawyer, Vladimir Bilienko, told AFP.
"
Alexei will keep his parental authority
", he assured, thanking "
all those who did not remain indifferent
", in particular the journalists, for having put pressure on the authorities in this story which shocked part of the public. Russian opinion.
Alexei Moskaliov first came to the attention of authorities last year when his 13-year-old daughter drew a picture in class showing Russian missiles heading towards a woman and child near a Ukrainian flag.
The director of the establishment had contacted the police, who discovered messages on social networks from the father criticizing the offensive.
A new wave of mobilization denied by Moscow
The Kremlin once again denied on Friday any intention to launch a second mobilization campaign to send men to Ukraine, in response to articles about students summoned by the army.
"
There are no
discussions
in the Kremlin about any
wave
of
mobilization
," presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
He was responding to a question about reports in Russian media about university students receiving military conscriptions in Moscow and other cities in Russia.
"
Honestly, this is the first time I've heard
of
this
," said Dmitry Peskov.
“
What invitations?
I don't even know
” what it is, he insisted.
In September 2022, the Kremlin announced the mobilization of several hundred thousand men of fighting age to give new impetus to its struggling offensive in Ukraine.
Public propaganda poster depicting a Russian officer with the slogan “Glory to the heroes of Russia”, in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on November 18, 2022. OLGA MALTSEVAOlga MALTSEVA / AFP
Two injured
after fighter jet ammunition crashes in Russia
Moscow said one of its warplanes lost ammunition over Belgorod, a Russian town near the Ukrainian border, on Thursday night after local authorities reported a powerful explosion that injured two people and left a huge crater in the city.
"
During the flight of the Su-34 aircraft of the Aerospace Forces over the city of
Belgorod, an abnormal fall of aviation ammunition occurred
," the Russian Defense Ministry said.
The statement picked up by Russian news agencies adds that the incident occurred at 10:15 p.m. local time (9:15 p.m. Paris time).
Russian planes have regularly carried out sorties over Belgorod since the launch of Moscow's offensive in Ukraine in February 2022.
Local officials reported a powerful explosion in Belgorod in the evening, saying the blast left a crater in the city center and injured two women.
"
An explosion has occurred
," Belgorod Region Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov said, adding that the blast left a crater 20 meters in diameter at the crossroads of the city's central arteries.
Citing a provisional assessment, Vyacheslav Gladkov indicated that a woman had been hospitalized for a cranial traumatism, while another had been treated on the spot.
Scene of the accident after a strong explosion, on a street in Belgorod, Russia, April 20, 2023. MAYOR OF BELGOROD / REUTERS
