David Cameron makes promises, Finland closes its border
- Russia launched its “military operation” in Ukraine on Thursday February 24, 2022. Every evening, 20 minutes offers you his recap of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict.
- A striking declaration, a key figure, the underlying trends… Here is the essential information to better understand a war of unprecedented scale on European soil.
- This Thursday, the head of British diplomacy David Cameron promised Volodymyr Zelensky continued military support for Ukraine.
Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 minutes takes stock for you every evening at 7:30 p.m. Between the strong declarations, the advances on the front and the results of the battles, here are the main points of the day.
The fact of the day
It was his first trip abroad since his appointment. The head of British diplomacy David Cameron promised Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky continued military support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion. “I wanted this to be my first visit and what I want to say by being here is that we will continue to give you the moral, diplomatic, economic, but above all military support, which you need not only this year, and next year, but also for as long as it takes,” assured the British official, according to a video released by the Ukrainian presidency.
Negotiations with the British delegation focused on deliveries of “weapons for the front line, strengthening air defense, protection of our population and our essential infrastructure,” Zelensky said on Telegram.
Sentence of the day
The Russians attack on the flanks, from the south, a little less from the north, using infantry, almost 24 hours a day, while striking positions around the city. »
These are the words of Vitaly Barabach, the mayor of Avdiïvka. The Russian army has stepped up its assault there in recent days. The situation “is very tense,” the head of this city located in eastern Ukraine said on television, before adding: “The enemy has become more active, mainly in the direction of (the industrial zone ), carrying out offensive actions using armored vehicles. »
The number of the day
7. This is the number of years of detention to which the artist Alexandra Skotchilenko was sentenced, arrested in Russia in April 2022 for having replaced the price labels in a supermarket with messages denouncing the offensive in Ukraine. Judge Oksana Demiacheva sentenced the accused to “seven years in prison colony” who joins, at 33, the dozens of Kremlin critics, renowned or anonymous, thrown in prison for having denounced the assault on Ukraine.
Today’s trend
It’s done. Finland will close half of its border crossing points with Russia overnight from Friday to Saturday. The Finnish government warned on Tuesday that it was considering closing this border, suspecting Moscow of trying to destabilize the country which joined NATO in April. “The government has taken the decision to close the Vaalimaa, Nuijamaa, Imatra and Niirala crossing points,” Interior Minister Mari Rantanen said this Thursday during a press conference.
This closure of the four points on the south-eastern border will be effective at midnight on the night of Friday to Saturday, four crossings remaining open further north. It will last until February 18, 2024, with the study of asylum applications concentrated in two centers.
Finland, which shares a 1,340 km border with Russia, has seen an influx of visa-free migrants from the Middle East and Africa, particularly from Iraq, Somalia and Yemen, since the end of August, according to its border guards. . “We want this phenomenon to stop, we want border activity to return to normal. If the situation spreads to other crossing points and becomes more difficult, we will take the necessary measures,” said Prime Minister Petteri Orpo. “This negative development of events will naturally lead to retaliatory measures,” announced the Russian Foreign Ministry.
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