KYIV | The United States on Friday accused Russia of seeking to “freeze” the Ukrainian population this winter, as Vladimir Putin announced continued displacement of residents of the southern Kherson region in the face of pressure from Kyiv’s military. .
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Ukraine has condemned the policy of “deportation” even to Russia east of its territory under Russian control and called on the international community to bear witness.
The latter intensified efforts to force Moscow to stop its offensive on the same day, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz called on Chinese President Xi Jinping to use “his influence” in the Kremlin in this sense, at the G7 meeting in Münster (Germany) which reiterated unfailing support for Kiev.
Officials say the heat is guaranteed
Foreign ministers from seven industrialized nations agreed to set up “a coordination mechanism” to help Ukraine “repair and protect” electricity and water supply installations that have been hit particularly hard by the Russians.
Providing water pumps, heaters, housing containers, toilets, beds, blankets or tents would also be a question.
Because Russia is trying to make up for its military defeats in Ukraine, targeting the main infrastructure to seize this country and “freeze” its citizens during the cold months, estimated during the G7 event, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken .
However, Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Chymikal wanted to reassure: “We are preparing for all scenarios. We are stockpiling power generation equipment in case of emergencies,” he explained on Friday.
“Today almost half of all buildings in Ukraine are heated. These are schools, kindergartens, hospitals, apartment buildings (…) In Kyiv, 78% of buildings are currently heated,” said Mr. Chmygal.
“There are ample reserves of underground gas deposits. 14.5 billion m3 of gas is accumulated. Considering the expected overseas deliveries, these batches will be enough to get through the season,” says the government chief.
“We have already received 700 generators from (foreign) donors. They will give it to another 900 soon,” said Mr. Michael.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is stepping up its operations in Ukraine so farmers can continue to produce despite the conflict.
Fighting in the East
At the same time, the fighting continued, “very violent” as President Volodymyr Zelensky underlined in the evening, as this week focused on Donbass (East), Bagmouth and Soledor.
But he assured that “we will keep our positions”, emphasizing the significant losses in the Russian ranks, according to him.
“During the day, the Russian aggressors fired three missiles and conducted five airstrikes and two multiple rocket launchers”, meanwhile the staff of the Ukrainian forces in Lviv (west), Kharkiv (northeast), Dnipropetrovsk (center) and Zaporizhia (south).
Faced with this situation, the West continues to provide full military aid to Ukraine: the US will finance the modernization of T-72 tanks and HAWK surface-to-air missiles at a cost of about $400 million.
“We recognize the critical need for anti-aircraft defense at this critical time when Russia and Russian forces are raining down Iranian missiles and drones on Ukrainian civilian infrastructure,” Q’s adviser Jack Sullivan said Friday. US President Joe Biden.
“More than 5,000 people” are displaced per day
The Russian president, in Red Square for National Unity Day, for his part did not deviate from his usual rhetoric.
“By continuing to supply Ukraine with weapons and sending mercenaries there”, Westerners are “supporting their geopolitical aims that have nothing to do with the interests of the Ukrainian people”; And it will “weaken, disfigure, destroy Russia,” Mr.
Regarding the evacuation of people from southern Ukraine, he said “those currently living in Kherson” should “stay away from the most dangerous war zones”.
“The Russian occupation administration has initiated mass displacements of residents of this region by force,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry responded, adding that “similar displacements are being implemented in other provinces as well.”
Last week, the Russians announced that 70,000 people living in Kherson and its region had been moved to the left bank of the Dnieper, where Moscow has better control of the situation.
But the Russian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that these population movements were continuing at a rate of “more than 5,000” people a day.
