liveLIVE. Ukraine-Russia war: strict curfew from 5 p.m. in Kiev



The essential

  • At 5 p.m., Emmanuel Macron convenes a defense council on the situation. The Head of State returned to the Elysée Palace immediately after inaugurating the Agricultural Show, where he felt that it would be necessary to “prepare” for a long-term conflict in Ukraine, with certain economic consequences.
  • Kiev is preparing for the worst. First Russian military units have entered the north of the Ukrainian capital. In a statement, the Ukrainian army reaffirmed that “hard fighting” continued in Vassylkiv, about thirty kilometers southwest of Kiev, where the Russians “are trying to land paratroopers”. Nearly 200 civilians have lost their lives in fighting in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion.
  • Volodymyr Zelensky called on Ukrainians not to lay down their arms and to defend Kiev. ” I’m here. We are not going to lay down our arms and we are going to defend our country, ”said the Ukrainian president in a video posted in the morning on Facebook.


12:54 p.m. – An extraordinary meeting of European energy ministers on Monday in Brussels

France, which holds the rotating presidency of the Council of the European Union, announced the holding of an extraordinary meeting of the Council of European Ministers in charge of Energy on Monday in Brussels. Barbara Pompili, Minister for the Ecological Transition, will bring together her European counterparts at 3 p.m. in the Belgian capital. A press conference will be organized at its end with Barbara Pompili and Kadri Simpson, Commissioner for Energy. As a reminder, several European countries are heavily dependent on Russia for their gas imports. The European Union has tightened its sanctions against Russia, after its invasion of Ukraine, without however going so far as to exclude the country from the Swift international banking system.

12:52 p.m. – In Kiev, obligation to be at home from 5 p.m.

The mayor of the Ukrainian capital announced a tougher curfew in place due to the Russian invasion, warning that anyone on the streets between 5 p.m. and 8 a.m. would be treated as an enemy. “All civilians who are on the streets during the curfew will be considered members of the enemy’s sabotage and reconnaissance groups,” Vitali Klitschko said on Telegram.

12:41 p.m. – A complaint from RT France for death threats

RT France, the French version of the Russian news channel Russia Today, will file a complaint for death threats, hate messages and insults. “In the context of the conflict in Ukraine, these threats, received by e-mail or shared on social networks, target the media RT France and, in particular, its president Xenia Fedorova”, detailed the television channel in a press release. The chain said it wanted to strengthen the security of its premises for as long as necessary. She also confirmed the holding next Wednesday of a general assembly, at the initiative of the management and the unions, dedicated to the geopolitical situation.

12:36 p.m. – Mario Draghi promises to support Russia’s exclusion from the Swift network

Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi has pledged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky his full support for European Union sanctions, including those regarding Russia’s exclusion from the Swift interbank system. The two leaders spoke by telephone on Saturday. It is “an option”, for his part estimated the American president Joe Biden, although he has for the moment refused to act such a sanction, stressing that certain European countries are opposed to it for the moment.

12:26 p.m. – Emmanuel Macron “alongside Moldova and Georgia”

President Emmanuel Macron affirmed on Saturday his “determination” to support the partners of the eastern neighborhood of the EU “against any attempt at tension and destabilization”. “We stand with Moldova and Georgia to defend their sovereignty and security,” the head of state told Moldovan President Maia Sandu and Georgian President Salome Zurabishvili in talks about of Ukraine reported by the Élysée.

12:01 p.m. – Availability, proximity… The measures that the prefects will have to respect

Faced with a “high” risk of cyberattack, the French prefects are called upon to be vigilant and must not stray far from their place of employment. In this context of Russian invasion in Ukraine, they must do what is necessary to “be able to return to their assigned department within the maximum period of half a day”. According to this note from the Interior, they must ensure “the availability of all the services mobilized and mobilizable”, taking care however not to “cause disproportionate reactions”.

12:01 p.m. — Zelensky urges Berlin and Budapest to pull Russia out of Swift

On Saturday, the Ukrainian president called on Germany and Hungary to have the “courage” to approve Russia’s exclusion from the Swift interbank system. This measure is being considered by the EU in reaction to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but Berlin and Budapest are reluctant. “Almost all EU countries are already for the exclusion of Russia from Swift,” Zelensky claimed in a video on Facebook. In addition to calling for punishing Vladimir Putin, many voices are being raised to exclude Russia from this interbank network, an essential cog in global finance. Western countries have for the moment been careful not to cut Russia off from this network, which allows payments to be received or sent all over the world.

11:45 a.m. – Volodymyr Zelensky: “We held on”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed to have “broken the plan” of Russia, calling on the Russians to tell Vladimir Putin to stop the war. “We have stood our ground and are successfully repelling enemy attacks. Fighting continues in many towns and regions of the country, but it is our army that controls Kiev and key towns around the capital,” the head of the army said. Ukrainian state in a video on Facebook.

11:32 a.m. – More than 7 million euros of armaments donated by Poland to Ukraine

Machine guns, automatic and precision rifles, pistols and ammunition… The Czech Republic is going to donate arms to Ukraine worth 7.6 million euros. “The Ministry of Defense will also take care of transport to a place determined by the Ukrainian side. Our help is not over,” Minister Jana Cernochova said in a tweet, on the third day of the Russian invasion of the ‘Ukraine. In January, Prague had already approved a donation to Kiev of four thousand artillery shells worth 1.5 million euros.

11:27 a.m. – 100,000 Ukrainians arrived in Poland

According to Polish Deputy Interior Minister Pawel Szefernaker, 100,000 Ukrainians have crossed the Polish border since the start of war operations in Ukraine and until today, along the entire length of the border with Ukraine. A provisional assessment on the third day of the invasion of the Russian armed forces.

11:22 a.m. – Garry Kasparov calls for “excluding Russia from financial markets”

Former Soviet dissident and opponent of Vladimir Putin, former world chess champion Garry Kasparov calls on the West to “exclude Russia from the financial markets”. “Make sure that the Russian financial system can no longer function and can no longer produce resources for Putin’s war machine”, asks the 58-year-old opponent, residing in New York, in an interview with the Italian daily Il Corriere della Sera Saturday. According to the opponent, the Russian president “is still sitting on cash reserves of more than 600 billion dollars”. “Rebelling against Putin can mean ending your own life. No one will unless there is a direct threat to the billions of dollars these people have amassed in the free world,” he said. -he adds.

11:18 a.m. – A Russian boat intercepted in the English Channel

A commercial boat transporting vehicles to Saint Petersburg, suspected of belonging to a Russian company targeted by EU sanctions against Moscow, was diverted to Boulogne-sur-Mer (Pas-de-Calais). This 127-meter boat is “strongly suspected of being linked to sanctioned Russian interests”. This measure, a sign of “firmness”, is “rare” in this area. Customs are currently conducting hearings and investigations on board to confirm these links.

10:51 a.m. – “Completely isolate Russia”, demands the Ukrainian Foreign Minister

As a missile targeted a residential apartment in Kiev, the Ukrainian foreign minister reacted on Twitter, calling for “stopping Russian war criminals”. “Kiev, our splendid and peaceful city, survived another night of attacks by Russian ground forces, missiles,” wrote Dmytro Kuleba. And to add: “I demand of the world: expel the ambassadors, embargo on oil, ruin its economy!”




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