Kherson is bombed by the Russians, the French Minister of the Army visits Kyiv

► Kherson city continues to be bombarded by Russian troops, according to Ukraine

Russian troops are continuing to shell Kherson, according to Ukrainian authorities. Three people were injured Wednesday, December 28 by gunfire in Kizomys, near the city, including a 14-year-old boy, said the deputy head of the presidential cabinet, Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

The day before, the maternity hospital was hit by Russian fire. “Five mothers who just gave birth are still there. Miraculously, no one was injured.”explained Kyrylo Tymoshenko.

Recaptured in mid-November by Ukrainian troops, the city was bombed on 24 December. The attack left ten people dead and fifty injured.

► “Several civilians” present in Bakhmout, the hot spot of the fighting

“Just a few civilians” still living in the town of Bakhmout, a flashpoint of fighting in eastern Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday.

“Last year, 70,000 people lived there. Now only a few civilians remain”, complained Volodymyr Zelensky on Facebook, without saying how many civilians were still in the city. Russian troops and paramilitaries from Wagner’s group have been trying, so far without success, to capture Bakhmout since the summer with heavy losses on both sides, and considerable destruction.

► French Minister of Armed Forces visits kyiv

French Armed Forces Minister Sébastien Lecornu visited Kyiv on Wednesday to show the government’s support for the Ukrainian army. For his first visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion, he paid special respects to Ukrainian soldiers who have died since February 24.

After the meeting with his Ukrainian counterpart, the minister will be received by President Volodymyr Zelensky for a half hour meeting. In particular, this will be the issue of arms shipments by France to Ukraine. After delivering Caesar’s 18 guns, Emmanuel Macron announced a few days ago that weapons deliveries would resume in 2023.

► Ukraine is equipping itself with drones

Ukraine has purchased around 1,400 drones, mostly for reconnaissance, according to the Ukrainian minister in charge of digital transformation. In an interview with the Associated Press news agency, Mykhailo Fedorov said the country wanted to develop a combat model capable of striking the explosive drones used by Russia during its invasion of the country.

For Mykhaïlo Fedorov, the war in Ukraine was the first major conflict of the Internet age, which resulted in the use of drones and satellite Internet access systems, such as Elon Musk’s Starlink.

► A ban on the sale of Russian oil would have no “practical meaning”, according to Berlin

Moscow’s ban on the sale of Russian oil from February 1 to foreign countries capping its price will no longer be in effect “practical meaning”reassured the German government on Wednesday.

“I don’t mean it’s meaningless, but it has no practical meaning. We have been preparing since early summer to replace » Russian oil, commented a spokesperson for the Ministry of Economy and Climate.

Russia will ban from February 1 the sale of its oil to foreign countries using the price cap for Russian black gold, set in early December at €56.51 a barrel by the European Union, G7 and Australia.

► Gazprom boss admits 2022 will be “very difficult”.

The boss of Russian gas giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, acknowledged Wednesday 2022 ” very difficult “ for the group, marked by a major shift in strategy, with exports turning to Asia amid a crisis between Moscow and the West.

Alexei Miller said notes “radical changes in the energy market”driven by the ramifications of international sanctions against Moscow in retaliation for its military intervention in neighboring Ukraine.