LIVE – War in Ukraine: new “massive” Russian strikes, explosions in kyiv

NO PEACE

UK Ambassador to Ukraine Melinda Simmons reacted to new Russian bombings on Thursday. “Russia does not want peace with Ukraine. Russia wants the enslavement of Ukraine,” she lambasted.

RUSSIAN STRIKES IN kyiv

Russian strikes injured at least three people in kyiv, the city’s mayor, Vitali Klitchko, announced on Thursday. “At the moment, three people have been injured, including a 14-year-old girl. All are hospitalized,” he wrote on Telegram.

POWER CUTS

The Ukrainian city of Lviv is largely without electricity after Russian strikes, the city’s mayor said on Thursday. “90% of the city is without electricity (…) the trams and trolleybuses no longer run in the city, there could be water cuts”, thus warned Andriï Sadovy, on the social network Telegram.

HAS PUTIN LOST CREDIT?

“For Vladimir Putin to lose face, the Ukrainians would have to inflict 3 Kherson-type defeats on him,” said Eugène Berg on LCI on Thursday. “We are at an impasse,” said the essayist and diplomat, specialist in Russia. “At some point, we will have to negotiate,” he adds.

“THANK YOU FRANCE”

On the sidelines of Minister Sébastien Lecornu’s visit to kyiv, Volodymyr Zelensky welcomed Paris’ commitment alongside Ukraine on Wednesday. “Thank you France”, launched the Ukrainian president.

RUSSIAN STRIKES

The Ukrainian air force denounces Thursday “massive” strikes of Russian missiles, indicates AFP. “The enemy is attacking Ukraine on several fronts, with cruise missiles fired from planes and ships,” she said on social media.

120 MISSILES LAUNCHED BY THE RUSSIANS

Mykhailo Podolyak, adviser to the head of the office of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, claimed on Twitter that more than 120 Russian missiles had been launched on Thursday. “More than 120 missiles over Ukraine launched by the ‘evil Russian world’ to destroy critical infrastructure and kill civilians en masse,” he said on social media.

DISCUSSIONS WITH RUSSIA

“We do not spare Moscow, we continue to discuss with Moscow, it is not quite the same thing”, underlines Thursday Volodymyr Zelensky, on RTL. “When you are a nuclear power, you talk to other nuclear powers, even when you don’t agree with them,” adds the Minister for the Armed Forces. “France’s vocation is to help its allies but also to discuss with those with whom we do not agree”, he insists. However, “Russia cannot and should not win,” he concludes.

FRENCH DEFENSE

“All the aid given to Ukraine does not weaken our defense model,” said Sébastien Lecornu, this Thursday on RTL. “Our vital interests are defended by nuclear deterrence,” he adds.

EXPLOSIONS IN kyiv

Journalist Oliver Carroll of The Economist says “strong explosions” are currently taking place in Kyiv. Words confirmed by Nolan Peterson and Iryna Matviyishyn, other journalists also present on site.

As a reminder, the adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Oleksiy Arestovych, announced on Thursday that a hundred Russian missiles were heading towards Ukraine and would hit the country in several waves.

WEDDINGS

Before going to the front, many Ukrainian soldiers decide to get married in case they do not return. LCI teams attended some of these heartbreaking ceremonies.

UPDATE ON THE SITUATION

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said he was “convinced” that Russia would achieve its military objectives in Ukraine. In Bakhmout, where fighting is raging, the Ukrainian authorities report a massive flight of civilians into a city “covered in blood”. Back to the highlights of the last 24 hours.

AT THE HEART OF THE UKRAINIAN COUNTER-OFFENSIVE

LCI teams are close to the fighting in Ukraine. They were able to follow the daily life of Ukrainian artillerymen but also to collect the testimony of a fighter specialized in infiltration among enemy lines.

MISSILES ON THE APPROACH

According to the adviser to the Ukrainian presidency, Oleksiy Arestovych, a hundred Russian missiles are heading towards Ukraine this Thursday. According to him, they will hit the country in several waves.

The first explosions have even already taken place in kyiv, reports the Guardian. In addition, devices have also been spotted in the Zhytomyr region, local governor Vitaliy Bunechko points out on Telegram.

THE LCI GUEST

Eugène Berg, essayist and diplomat, specialist in Russia, is the guest of LCI this Thursday, from 8:30 am.

RUSSIAN TANKS

According to the RIA Novosti news agency, Moscow sent 80BV tanks to the Kherson region. This is the fastest and most maneuverable vehicle in the Russian arsenal. “This vehicle is three to four times superior to enemy vehicles. It is more maneuverable, shoots faster… In a tank battle, the enemy has no chance,” a member told the agency. of the crew of one of these tanks.

ZELENSKY

In his daily address on Wednesday evening, President Zelensky returned to his meeting with Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister for the Armed Forces.

“We discussed cooperation during the year, the reconstruction of our country and a new step in strengthening our air defense,” he said. And to the Ukrainian president to conclude with an energetic: “Thank you France!”

CEREALS

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Wednesday appointed a new coordinator for the Black Sea Grains Initiative, an agreement between the UN, Ukraine, Russia and Turkey that since July has eased the global food crisis.

The Sudanese Amir Mahmoud Abdulla, in office since August, is replaced by the Kuwaiti Abdullah Abdul Samad Dashti, a retired admiral of the armed forces of his country, announced in a press release the spokesperson for Antonio Guterres.

LAVROV

The head of Russian diplomacy said he was “convinced” that Russia would achieve its objectives in Ukraine by dint of “patience” and “stubbornness”, in particular the recognition of four Ukrainian regions which Moscow claims the annexation.

“I am convinced that thanks to our stubbornness, our patience and our determination, we will defend our noble goals, those vital for our people and our country”, declared Sergei Lavrov, during an interview broadcast on Wednesday on the Russian television channel. Pervy Canal. “This while always remaining open to fair dialogue and agreements to ensure equal and indivisible security in Europe,” he continued.

“It is obvious that kyiv is not ready for dialogue. Putting forward all sorts of ideas and formulas for peace… Zelensky deludes himself with the illusion of obtaining, with the help of the West, the withdrawal of our troops from Donbass, Crimea, the Zaporizhia region and Kherson, etc. Of course, we will not talk to anyone in such conditions,” he retorts.

FRENCH MILITARY SUPPORT

The Defense Minister traveled to kyiv on Wednesday 28 December. He spoke with the Ukrainian president, as well as his counterpart, to take stock of French military support. Sébastien Lecornu promised additional aid “for the weeks to come”.

WELCOME TO THIS LIVE

Hello everyone, welcome to this live on the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. You can follow the latest information here.