kyiv thanks the American Senate for the vote on aid which, however, risks being blocked.
Russian shelling in eastern and southern Ukraine on Tuesday morning killed five civilians and hit an agricultural facility.
Brussels wants to sanction Chinese companies because of their exports to Russia.
Le Figaro
takes stock of the war in Ukraine this Tuesday, February 13.
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Zelensky “grateful” to US senators
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky declared himself
“grateful”
this Tuesday to the American senators who voted Tuesday for an envelope of dollars for Ukraine, aid which however risks being blocked in the House of Representatives.
“For us, in Ukraine, the continuation of American aid makes it possible to save human lives from Russian terror”
while
“we are fighting for freedom, democracy
,” he declared on X (ex-Twitter ).
Five Ukrainian civilians killed in Russian bombing
Five civilians were killed this Tuesday in new Russian bombings in eastern and southern Ukraine, regional authorities announced, also reporting power cuts following these strikes.
In the Kharkiv region (east), two men were killed and two others injured in the village of Kurylivka, near the city of Kupiansk, after shelling hit an agricultural facility in the morning, Governor Oleg said on Telegram Synegubov.
Three hours later, the town of Vovchansk, located about 90 kilometers to the northeast, near the Russian border, came under artillery fire that killed a 61-year-old woman and injured another, 51, in a local market, the governor said in a separate statement.
In the Kherson region (south), also targeted daily by Russian fire, an 83-year-old woman was fatally injured in the courtyard of her house in the village of Lvové, hit by nighttime bombardment, said the regional governor. Oleksandr Prokoudin, also on Telegram.
A 64-year-old man was also killed by artillery fire in the town of Nikopol (southeast), according to the governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region, Serguiï Lyssak, on Telegram.
23 “Shahed” drones fired by Russia
During the night, Russia fired 23 explosive drones of the
“Shahed”
type and Iranian design at its neighbor, the Ukrainian air force said, specifying that it had shot down 16 of these devices in the Kherson regions. , Zaporizhia (south) and Dnipropetrovsk (central-east).
Governor Serguiï Lyssak reported a
“massive drone attack”
on this territory, for the second night in a row.
Ten drones were shot down over the region, he said, adding that several others hit targets, including an energy site and infrastructure, in the regional center city of Dnipro.
In occupied territory in eastern Ukraine, three civilians were killed and another injured in a Ukrainian strike in Kreminna in the Lunansk region, authorities installed by Moscow said.
The injured
“was transported to a medical establishment in the town of Roubizhne for an injury following a mine explosion
,” they said on Telegram.
Brussels proposes restrictions on three Chinese firms
Brussels is proposing to the Twenty-Seven to add around twenty companies targeted by drastic EU trade restrictions due to their exports to Russia, targeting firms from mainland China, according to a draft text consulted by AFP .
Aiming to
“fight against the
circumvention
”
of Western sanctions against Moscow, this recommendation from the European Commission is now subject to examination by the Member States, whose unanimous green light is necessary.
More than 600 companies are already targeted by trade restrictions of this type: the EU is seeking to dissuade foreign firms and third countries from helping Moscow by re-exporting to Russia goods usable by the Russian military-industrial complex, in particular semiconductors and integrated circuits.
Among the new names listed are Russian firms accused of participating in their country's war effort in Ukraine, as well as companies from Serbia, India, Turkey, Thailand and Sri Lanka.
There is also a company from Hong Kong and three companies based in mainland China.
If the Twenty-Seven validate these names, it would be the very first time that mainland Chinese companies have been targeted in this context.
Hungary remains reluctant to impose restrictions on third-state companies, while other European countries
"are still analyzing the proposal and preparing their positions"
, according to a diplomat.
A previous proposal from the Commission in June 2023 had already identified eight firms based in China and accused of re-exporting sensitive goods to Russia.
But only three Hong Kong-based firms were ultimately targeted.