2023-07-08 13:42:22
UPDATE ON THE SITUATION – The presidency released a video of Zelensky paying tribute to the soldiers who died on the island emblematic of the Ukrainian resistance.
After a visit to Snake Island on Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky prayed alongside the Patriarch of Constantinople for the 500th day of the Russian invasion. The UN, for its part, denounced the civilian casualties, while the United States announced that it was supplying Kiev with cluster munitions… Le Figaro provides an update on the conflict in Ukraine this Saturday, July 8.
Eight dead in Russian bombardment in eastern Ukraine
At least eight people were killed and 13 injured on Saturday in a Russian bombardment of the town of Lyman. “To date, we are aware of people who have died (…) as a result of enemy shelling this morning“, indicated the ministry on Telegram, specifying that 13 people were injured.
According to him, fires broke out after these strikes in a residential building and the annex of a printing press but could be extinguished. The city of Lyman, an important railway hub in eastern Ukraine, was retaken in October by the Ukrainian army, which this week reported Russian offensives in this sector.
Zelensky prays alongside the Patriarch of Constantinople
The Ukrainian president visiting Istanbul prayed Saturday morning alongside Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew for the victims of the war with Russia, which has entered its 500th day. Volodymyr Zelensky, who met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday evening, went to the headquarters of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople on the Golden Horn in Istanbul on Saturday morning, AFP journalists noted. After a short prayer for the victims of the conflict that has plagued Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the two men spoke away from the cameras.
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A visit to Snake Island for the 500th day of the Russian invasion
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited Serpents’ Island in the Black Sea, where kyiv secured a high-profile victory at the start of the war with Russia, which entered its 500th day on Saturday. “Today we are on the Serpents’ Islands, which will never be conquered by the occupier, just like the rest of Ukraine, because we are the country of courage“said the head of state in an undated video posted on social networks. “I want to thank here, from this place of victory, each of our soldiers for these 500 daysZelensky said in this video where he is seen arriving on the island by boat and laying flowers in front of a memorial.
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L’UN denounces civilian casualties
The UN has denounced the loss of civilian life caused by the Russian offensive in Ukraine, as the fighting crosses the 500-day mark. More than 9,000 civilians, including 500 children, have been killed since the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022, the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine said in a statement Friday, although UN officials have previously stated that the true number was likely much higher.
«Today we mark another grim milestone in the war that continues to take a horrific toll on Ukrainian civiliansNoel Calhoun, deputy head of the UN human rights monitoring mission in Ukraine, said in a statement on Friday, the 500th day since February 24, 2022. While this year the number of victims has on average been lower to that of 2022, it picked up again in May and June, observers noted.
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Erdogan reiterates his support for Ukraine
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterated Friday in Istanbul unequivocal support for his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The Turkish head of state, who received Volodymyr Zelensky for the first time in Turkey since the start of the war in February 2022, estimated a few days before the NATO summit in Vilnius on July 11 and 12 that Ukraine “deservedto join the Atlantic Alliance and called on the two countries, Russia and Ukraine, to “return to peace talks“. He also announced, during a joint press conference with Volodymyr Zelensky, the visit “next monthin Türkiye by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
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LUkraine will receive Washington cluster munitions
The United States promised Ukraine the delivery of cluster munitions on Friday, marking an important step and hailed as such by Volodymyr Zelensky. “A vast and indispensable defense assistance program from the United States», and tweeted Volodymyr Zelensky, spokesman for «gratitude to the American people and to President Joseph Biden».
«It was a tough decision“, indicated the national security adviser of the White House, Jake Sullivan, supporting however that it wasthe right thing to do» and that the Ukrainians had guaranteed «in writing“that they would minimize”the risks posed to civilians“. On the other hand, Washington dashed the hopes of Volodymyr Zelensky who was hoping for Western support for his country’s entry into NATO at the Vilnius summit. Kyiv”still have many steps to go through before you can become a member“warned Jake Sullivan.
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