The Russian offensive in Ukraine launched overnight from Wednesday to Thursday by Vladimir Putin is entering its fourth day this Sunday, February 27. Follow the events live with us.
– 10:20 am: The conflict in Ukraine could last “several years”
This is according to Liz Truss, the British Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
– 9:40 am: Explosions heard in Kiev, fighting near the capital
Kiev was rocked by several explosions on Sunday morning, as Ukrainian media also reported explosions and firefights in a town near the Ukrainian capital targeted by the Russian military.
According to the Ukrainian news site Segodnya.ua, a bridge was destroyed near Boutcha, west of Kiev, and fighting is ongoing between Russian and Ukrainian forces in this town on the outskirts of the capital, said Anton Herashchenko, adviser to the Ukrainian Ministry of the Interior.
– 9:11 am: “The night was hard”, testifies the Ukrainian president
“Last night was hard, again shooting, again bombardments of inhabited neighborhoods, of civilian infrastructure. There is nothing today that the occupier does not consider a legitimate target,” he said in a video posted on Facebook.
– 9:09 am: At least 64 civilians killed in Ukraine, according to the UN
At least 64 civilians have been killed and more than 160,000 people have been displaced by the military offensive launched by Russia on Thursday against Ukraine, said the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
“As of 5 p.m. on February 26, the (UN Human Rights Office) reports at least 240 civilian casualties, including at least 64 dead,” OCHA said in a status update, adding that the true toll was arguably “considerably higher”.
Several hundred thousand people are deprived of water and electricity due to damage to civil infrastructure, several hundred houses were damaged or destroyed, and bridges and roads were bombed, cutting off some villages from all supplies, OCHA added. The fighting has made more than 160,000 displaced and more than 116,000 refugees in neighboring countries, according to the Agency for Refugees (HCR).
“UN agencies and their humanitarian partners have been forced to suspend their operations due to a deterioration of the security situation. The UN and its partners maintain their presence in the country and are committed to remaining on the ground and respond to growing humanitarian needs once the situation permits,” the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.
– 8:49 am: Ukraine rejects a Russian offer of talks in Belarus
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky on Sunday rejected a Russian proposal for talks in Belarus, saying Minsk was complicit in the Russian invasion. He said he was ready for negotiations, but elsewhere than on Belarusian soil. The Kremlin announced on Sunday the arrival in the Belarusian city of Gomel of a Russian delegation ready to discuss with Kiev, on the fourth day of the massive offensive launched by Moscow against Ukraine.
– 8:40 a.m.: Russian planes banned from Finland
Finland will close its airspace to Russian planes, Transport Minister Timo Harraka has announced.
– 8:29 a.m .: The Kremlin says it is ready for discussions with Kiev in Belarus
A Russian delegation has arrived in Belarus for talks with Ukraine, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday. This delegation is made up of officials from the presidency as well as the ministries of foreign affairs and defense and is awaiting the arrival of its Ukrainian counterparts in the Belarusian city of Gomel, added Dmitry Peskov.
– 8:20 a.m.: Vladimir Putin salutes the “heroism” of the forces engaged in Ukraine
The Russian government also claims to be ready for negotiations with Ukraine in Gomel, Belarus.
– 8:15 am: Anne Hildago in the colors of Ukraine
The socialist candidate took advantage of her meeting on Saturday in Bordeaux to defend Ukraine.
– 7:41 a.m.: Warning siren and explosion heard in Kiev
Air-raid sirens sounded Sunday morning around 8:09 a.m. (0609 GMT) and an explosion occurred within minutes in the west of the Ukrainian capital attacked by the Russian army, testifies a Reuters journalist .
– 7:18 a.m.: The Russian army claims to have surrounded two major cities in southern Ukraine
“In the past 24 hours, the Russian armed forces have completely blocked the cities of Kherson and Berdiansk”, which have 290,000 and 110,000 inhabitants respectively, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense, quoted by the TASS agency.
– 7:15 a.m.: Fighting in Kharkiv
According to a correspondent of the English newspaper Telegram, the Russian military would be in Kharkiv. Fighting is reportedly underway in Ukraine’s second city.
– 6:55 am: Weapons delivered to Ukraine
The Ukrainian president affirmed that “weapons and equipment of our partners are on their way to Ukraine”. The German government has decided to authorize the delivery to Ukraine of 1,000 rocket launchers and 500 surface-to-air missiles, thus breaking its policy of banning the export of lethal weapons in conflict zones.
Washington announced a military aid of 350 million dollars and Belgium, the Czech Republic, or the Netherlands announced the sending of weapons or equipment, defensive with regard to France, indicates The Parisian.
– 6:48 am: North Korea accuses the United States
The United States is “the root cause of the Ukrainian crisis”, claimed North Korea, in its first official reaction after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Washington has pursued a policy of “military supremacy in defiance of Russia’s legitimate demand for its security”, assures a message published on Saturday on the website of the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, signed by Ri Ji Song, researcher at the Society. study of international politics.
– 6:30 a.m.: The Ukrainian Prime Minister thanks Westerners for their support
“We appreciate your support and real help in these dark times. The Ukrainian people will never forget it!” Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chmyhal reacted on Twitter on Sunday, after the announcements of sanctions and military aid from Western countries. .
Grateful to all our partners I talked today – \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6, \ud83c\uddf5\ud83c\uddf1, \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddf9, \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfb, \ud83c\uddea\ ud83c\uddea, \ud83c\uddf3\ud83c\uddf1, \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\uddff, \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddf0, \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee, \ud83c\uddf9\ud83c\udde9, \ ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddea, \ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udded, \ud83c\uddf1\ud83c\uddfa, @EU_Commission \ud83c\uddea\ud83c\uddfa! Appreciate your support and real help in this dark time. Ukrainian people will never forget this! Keep holding the line! We are on our land!
— Denys Shmyhal (@Denys_Shmyhal) February 26, 2022
– 6:02 am: Emmanuel Macron’s call
“Tonight, I asked President Lukashenko for the withdrawal of Russian troops from his soil,” Emmanuel Macron tweeted in the middle of the night. “Brotherhood between the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples should lead Belarus to refuse to be Russia’s vassal and de facto accomplice in the war against Ukraine,” the president insisted.
This evening, I asked President Lukashenko for the withdrawal of Russian troops from his soil. The brotherhood between the Belarusian and Ukrainian peoples should lead Belarus to refuse to be Russia’s vassal and de facto accomplice in the war against Ukraine.
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) February 27, 2022
– 5:20 a.m.: A gas pipeline hit
Strikes hit an oil depot near Vassylkiv, about thirty kilometers southwest of Kiev, causing a huge fire, as well as a gas pipeline in Kharkiv (east), according to the official Special Communications Service.
An oil depot in Vasilkyv has been hit during the night and is on fire. Kyiv authorities ask that people keep their window tightly shut pic.twitter.com/XdEytm56hq
—Michael A. Horowitz (@michaelh992) February 27, 2022
– 4:55 am: Trump criticizes the “so stupid” Western leaders
Donald Trump praised the “intelligent” Vladimir Putin and criticized Western leaders “so stupid” in his eyes, Saturday evening in Florida at the major annual convention of American conservatives.
According to him, NATO “seems anything but intelligent” by hitting Russia with sanctions instead of deciding to “pull it to pieces – at least psychologically”. “The problem is not that Putin is smart, because of course he is smart”, “the real problem is that our leaders are so stupid”, said the former tenant of the White House, blaming the invasion of Ukraine to the “weakness” of Joe Biden. Finally, he called Volodymyr Zelensky a “brave man”, reports 20 minutes.
– 4:22 a.m.: Swift says preparing to comply with restrictions on Russian banks
The SWIFT interbank network announced on Saturday that it was preparing to implement in the coming days the new measures targeting Russian banks decided by Western powers. “We are in contact with the European authorities to find out which entities will be subject to the new measures and we are preparing to comply with the legal instructions”, it was indicated in a press release.
– 12:01 am: Call between Macron and Zelensky
Emmanuel Macron called Saturday around midnight Volodymyr Zelensky, who thanked him “for having responded to Ukraine’s requests for defensive military equipment”, announced the Elysée. The Ukrainian president also thanked his counterpart for “his contribution to the collective measures concerning Swift”.
Finally, Volodymyr Zelensky “expressed his gratitude to the French President for the very clear messages transmitted to the President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko”.
