Zelensky rejects rival’s call for elections
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has rejected the prospect of wartime elections, saying it would be highly dangerous.
Analysis by FRANCE 24 international affairs editor Matthew-Mary Caruchet.
Ukraine keeps up attacks on Russian e-commerce giant Ozon
Russian e-commerce giant Ozon said that its warehouses came under drone attack, as Ukraine pressed ahead with its campaign targeting logistics sites.
Kyiv has for weeks mounted a campaign targeting Russia’s Wildberries – the country’s top online retailer – alleging it supplied components to the military.
Ozon is Russia’s second-largest online marketplace, with its pick-up points and delivery boxes ubiquitous across the country.
New UK PM Andy Burnham to make visit to Kyiv
British Prime Minister Andy Burnham will visit Kyiv on his first international visit since taking office last month, his office said, as Ukraine marks its 35th independence anniversary.
Burnham has vowed to give strong support to Ukraine as it battles Russia’s invasion.
The Labour Party leader’s visit comes as he announced that Britain had “agreed that defence firm MBDA can release classified information on UK components for the long-range missile, SCALP, to establish local assembly lines in Ukraine”, a statement said.
Zelensky says war time elections in Ukraine would ‘destroy the country’
In remarks on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke out against holding war time elections, saying it would be too dangerous for the country and would “split” Ukraine.
The remarks come in response to a call from the former defence minister Mykhailo Fedorov to organise a vote, after he was fired by Zelensky last month.
Details and analysis by FRANCE 24 correspondent in Kyiv, Emmanuelle Chaze.
Russia’s Ozon says Dagestan logistics hub on fire after drone attack
Russian online retailer Ozon’s logistics hub in Makhachkala in Dagestan was on fire after a drone attack, it said on the Telegram messaging app.
The company has also temporarily shut down two warehouses in the nearby regions of Stavropol and Adygeya in the North Caucasus amid a drone attack alert, it said, though they were not damaged.
North Korea preparing further Russia troop deployments, no sign move imminent, Seoul says
South Korea’s Defence Ministry said North Korea was continuing preparations for an additional troop deployment to Russia, but had detected no signs that such a deployment was imminent, according to a South Korean lawmaker’s office.
The assessment came after North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong, sister of leader Kim Jong Un, last week denied Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s claim that Pyongyang planned to send up to 50,000 more troops to Russia to fight for its ally.
South Korea’s Defence Ministry said in a statement to lawmaker Yu Yong-weon that North Korea had continued to supply Russia with weapons systems, including short-range ballistic missiles, according to Yu’s office.
Drone debris kills two children in Russia’s Krasnodar, governor says
Two children were killed and another nine people, including seven children, were injured after drone debris hit a private childcare center in Krasnodar in southern Russia overnight, Governor Veniamin Kondratyev said on the Telegram messaging app.
Debris also fell on apartment buildings in the city, causing a fire at warehouses, he said, without providing details.
Ukraine backers gather as war escalates, air defence runs low
Ukraine on Monday hosts a meeting of its key European backers to press for critical air-defence supplies and more pressure on Moscow, with Russian attacks killing more civilians than at any time since the first months of the invasion.
The meeting of the Coalition of the Willing will be jointly chaired by the leaders of Britain, France and Germany.
UK Prime Minister Andy Burnham will be in Kyiv for his first international trip since entering 10 Downing Street, and several other leaders are expected to join remotely.
Welcome to the FRANCE 24 liveblog covering the war in Ukraine and diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
