UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – Le Figaro provides an update on the latest information from journalists, Ukrainian and Russian official statements, Western sources and international organizations.
New graves have been discovered in the territories recently reconquered by Ukrainian troops, Ursula von der Leyen wants Vladimir Putin to be tried, Russia “in no hurryto end his military campaign… Le Figaro takes stock this Friday, September 16 on the latest information related to the war in Ukraine.
Hundreds of summary graves in Izyoum, Macron condemnswith the utmost firmness (these) atrocities»
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Friday called the Russian military “murderers” and “torturersafter the discovery of hundreds of bodies summarily buried near Izyum, where were also foundtorture rooms“. “Russia leaves only death and suffering. Murderers. Torturers. Deprived of all that is human“, said Volodymyr Zelensky on Telegram, promising a “terribly just punishment“. He mentioned “more than 400 bodiesfound at this mass burial site near Izyum, “with traces of torture, children, those who died from missile strikes, fighters of the Ukrainian Armed Forces“.
Emmanuel Macron condemned “in the strongest terms the atrocities committed in Izyum, Ukraine, under Russian occupation“. “Their authors will have to answer for their actions. There is no peace without justiceadded the French president in a tweet. The EU said to itselfdeeply shocked“. For his part, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken accused Russia of acting in a manner “appalling“.
Read alsoIn the ruins of Izyum, Ukrainians celebrate their liberation: the story of the special envoy of the Figaro
On the spot, Ukrainian investigators began to exhume bodies in this forest near Izyum, where 443 graves were discovered, including a grave containing the bodies of 17 Ukrainian soldiers, according to Oleg Kotenko, government official for the search for missing persons. . Two men in white outfits were digging there on Friday in the sandy soil, near a cross with the inscription: “Ukrainian army, 17 people. Izyum, from the morgue“, according to AFP journalists on the spot. At least one of the bodies, exhumed from another grave, was found with its hands bound with rope. It was impossible to immediately establish whether it was a civilian or a soldier, the body being very damaged, according to AFP.
“99%“bodies exhumed in Izyum”showed signs of violent death“, declared in the evening the regional governor Oleg Synegoubov. “There are several bodies with their hands tied behind their backs and one person is buried with a rope around their neck. Obviously, these people were tortured and executed“said Oleg Synegoubov on Telegram, accompanying his message with photos of the hundreds of graves found near Izyoum.
»SEE ALSO – Izium: the army exhumes a mass grave of Ukrainian soldiers
Putin: Russiain no hurry» to end his military campaign
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Friday that Russia was in no hurry to complete its military campaign in Ukraine, assuring that the strategy of Russian forces had not changed and that they continued to conquer territories. “Our offensive operations, in the Donbass, do not stop, they advance at a slow pace (…). The plan (of operations, editor’s note) does not require any change (…) we are in no hurry“, he declared, during a press conference from Samarkand in Uzbekistan.
Read also“Without the Wagner Group, the Russian army is not a real military power”
Putin assures Modi that he wants to end the war in Ukraine “as soon as possible»
On the sidelines of a regional summit in Uzbekistan, Vladimir Putin assured Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday that he wanted to quickly end the conflict in Ukraine: “I know your position on the conflict in Ukraine, your concerns (…) We will do everything to put an end to everything as soon as possible”.
Read alsoPutin appears as an anti-Western godfather
“Unfortunately, it’s just that the opposing side, the leadership of Ukraine, refused any negotiation process, and indicated that they wanted to achieve their goals through military means, on the battlefield”Vladimir Putin continued, according to an exchange broadcast on Russian television.
“Excellency, I know the time is not for warNarendra Modi retorted to Vladimir Putin in Samarkand, at the start of their first one-on-one meeting since Russian forces invaded Ukraine, according to footage released by the public service broadcaster. Indian Doordashan. But Narendra Modi however emphasized the importance of “democracy, diplomacy and dialogue“.
“SEE ALSO – Xi Jinping: China ready to play its role of”major power» with Russia
UN General Assembly allows Zelensky to speak remotely next week
UN member states have exceptionally allowed the Ukrainian president to speak via video message at the annual UN General Assembly next week. Of the 193 member countries, 101 voted in favor of this decision which creates an exception to the in-person speech rule and allows Volodymyr Zelensky to “submit a pre-recorded statementduring the High Level Week of the General Assembly. Seven voted against, including Russia, and 19 abstained.
“SEE ALSO – Ukraine:”400 localitieswere picked up in the Kharkiv region, according to Zelensky
Turkey will payA quarter» Russian gas in rubles, announces Putin
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday confirmed in Samarkand the delivery “nextof natural gas to Turkey, described asreliable partner» and announced that a «quarterof these deliveries will be paid in rubles. This clarification, during his bilateral meeting with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan, confirms the agreement reached between the two leaders during their previous meeting in early August in Sochi, in southern Russia.
“Our agreement should take effect soon allowing the delivery of natural gas to Turkey, 25% of which will be payable in rublessaid Vladimir Putin, during a bilateral meeting lasting more than an hour on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Uzbekistan. The share of these gas deliveries paid for in Russian currency had not been stipulated during their previous exchanges.
Read alsoGas price cap gives Europeans headaches
Deadly attacks against pro-Russian cadres
The prosecutor general of the separatist pro-Russian region of Lugansk in eastern Ukraine was killed along with his deputy by an explosion on Friday, local authorities said. The region’s leader Leonid Passetchnik claimed that the separatist authorities were looking for the “persons linked to this crime”. He did not give more details on the nature of this explosion.
The head of the occupation administration in the region of Zaporizhia (South), Yevgeny Balitsky, for his part announced the death “overnight” of two pro-Russian executives in the port city of Berdiansk, conquered by Moscow at the end of February. According to this source, the head of the Berdiansk electoral commission, responsible in particular for organizing a vote to join Russia, Lioudmila Boïko, was killed with her husband, Oleg Boïko, deputy head of the administration of the town. Yevgeny Balitsky did not provide further details on these murders.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: nervousness in Russia, where ultra-patriots criticize Vladimir Putin’s strategy
Ukraine has lost 15% of its grain storage capacity
About 15% of Ukraine’s grain storage capacity has been lost since the start of the war with Russia, according to a US report on Thursday highlighting the adverse effects on global food security.
Read alsoWar in Ukraine: the grain agreement is not a panacea
Since the start of the war, access to silos and other storage space representing about 8.5 million tonnes of grain has been lost by Ukraine, according to the estimate of the Washington-backed Conflict Observatory. Of the approximately 58 million tons in storage capacity in Ukraine, the Russians took control of 6.24 million and 2.25 million were destroyed, the report said.
Siberian Force 2 pipeline to Chinawill replace» Nord Stream 2, announced in Moscow
The Siberian Force 2 gas pipeline, under discussion for several years between Moscow and Beijing, “will replaceNord Stream 2, which was to connect Russia to Europe but whose commissioning has been abandoned since the conflict in Ukraine, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said on Thursday. Asked in an interview with the Rossiya-1 television channel about a replacement in the Russian energy strategy of the European Nord Stream 2 by the Asian Siberian Force 2, Alexander Novak replied: “Yes“.
Read alsoRussian gas: Europe prepares to enter a war economy
Earlier in the day, the Minister, on the sidelines of a trip to Uzbekistan, had affirmed that Russia and China would soon sign agreements relating to the delivery of “50 billion cubic meters of gas» per year via the future Force de Sibérie 2 gas pipeline. This volume will represent almost the maximum capacity of Nord Stream 1 – 55 billion m³ in total -, which has been shut down since September 2.
Ursula von der Leyen wants Putin to be brought to justice
The President of the European Commission pleaded Thursday in favor of an appearance of Russian President Vladimir Putin before international justice for the war crimes committed in Ukraine, in an interview with a German media. “Putin needs to lose this war and answer for his actions, that’s important to me“said Ursula von der Leyen to the daily television channel Picture.
Read alsoUkraine: could Vladimir Putin be tried for a war crime?
There is no doubt that war crimes have been committed in Ukraine since the outbreak of the Russian offensive at the end of February, “that’s why we support the collection of evidencewith a view to proceedings before the International Criminal Court, added the head of the European executive, who made a visit to kyiv during the day.
SEE ALSO – Ursula von der Leyen: EU will support Ukraine “as long as it takes»