Today, October 13, we live the day 963 of the war between Russia and Ukraineafter on February 24, 2022, Vladimir Putin ordered a “special military operation” to liberate the pro-Russian population of the Ukrainian region of Donbas.
This Sunday, the Pope Francis asked so that the world’s wars end, he also stressed his request for that Ukrainians do not die of cold and hunger, before the arrival of winter in Ukraine.
Likewise, it was reported that both Russia and Ukraine managed to shoot down drones that were heading towards their territories, while the Russian army took over the town Mykhailivka, en Donetsk.
Russia Ukraine War: Pope Francis asks for Ukrainians
Pope Francis He asked for a stop to the wars that are taking place in the worldincluding that of Russia and Ukraine, in addition to that of Israel against Gaza and Lebanon.
“War is a defeat for everyone, stop it, please! I ask that the UN peacekeepers be respected. “I pray for all the victims and that the air attacks against the civilian population stop.”
Papa Francisco
The Supreme Pontiff prayed for all the victims, the displaced, the hostages, to whom he wished their immediate freedom and an end to this “great useless suffering generated by hatred and revenge”, asking for it to end soon.
Likewise, Pope Francis called for that Ukrainians should not be left to die from the cold, given the arrival of winter and the lack of electricity and food to the civilian population of Ukraine.
“I call on Ukrainians not to be left to freeze to death. Stop air attacks against the civilian population, which is always the most affected.”
Papa Francisco
The Pope’s words came after his meeting with the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, Sviatoslav Shevchuk, who shared that 6 million Ukrainians could suffer from lack of food and cold in the coming weeks.
Papa Francisco (Alberto PIZZOLI / AFP)
Russia Ukraine War: Shoot down Russian and Ukrainian drones
The Ukrainian Air Force reported that 31 of the 68 Shahed attack drones launched were shot down during the night by Russia, which also attacked with four missiles.
It was noted that the regions attacked were Poltava and Odessa, with two Iskander-M ballistic missiles sent from Kursk and the occupied territory of Crimea, as well as the Chernihiv and Sumi regions with two Kh-59 guided missiles.
In addition, they launched 68 attack drones from the Russian regions of Orel and Kursk, of which 31 were shot down by anti-aircraft defense over the regions of kyiv, Poltava, Chernihiv, Sumi and Cherkasy.
For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense indicated that the Russian air defenses shot down 13 Ukrainian drones fixed-wing aircraft over the Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk regions, all of which border Ukraine.
It was reported that twelve of the downed unmanned aircraft were destroyed in the Belgorod and Brians regions, and the rest in Kursk.
Russia Ukraine War: Russia controls a new town in Donetsk
The Russian Defense Ministry shared that the Russian troops took control of a new town during the offensive they are carrying out in the eastern region of Donetsk.
It is about Mykhailivkawhich before the war had just over a thousand inhabitants and is located less than 20 kilometers southwest of Pokrovsk, an important road and rail communication hub.
“Units of the ‘Center’ troop grouping with determined actions liberated the village of Mikhailovka (Mykhailivka, in Ukrainian) in the Donetsk People’s Republic”
Russian Ministry of Defense
War Russia Ukraine: Russian war crimes denounced after the execution of Ukrainian prisoners
Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Ombudsman, Dmitró Lubinets, called on the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the UN to rule on the alleged execution of nine Ukrainian prisoners of war in the Russian Kursk region.
“On social networks, information is again spreading about the possible shooting of 9 Ukrainian prisoners of war by the Russians in the Kursk region. “Such actions constitute a flagrant violation of the Geneva Convention Relating to the Treatment of Prisoners of War!”
Dmitró Lubinets
The Ukrainian defender denounced the alleged crime, as well as others committed by the Russians, and asked that such actions not go unpunished, since he assured that Russia violates all the norms and customs of war.
“These actions must not go unpunished, and the enemy must be fully held accountable. Russia is a terrorist country that violates all the norms and customs of war. “The international community must not close its eyes to such crimes!”
Dmitró Lubinets