Live Ukraine war: European Commission recommends opening EU accession talks with Ukraine

Russia punishes three Ukrainian soldiers

The Russian judiciary has sentenced three Ukrainian soldiers accused of war crimes to 14 to 20 years in prison, the harshest sentences against Kiev soldiers in recent days.

A military court in Rostov-on-Don (southwest) sentenced Anton Serednik to 19 years in prison for killing a civilian in the village of Mirny near the city of Mariupol on March 27, 2022, then under siege, Ria Novosti news agency said. Russian investigators say they forced two citizens to say “bread” in Ukrainian and shot one who couldn’t do it correctly. According to this evidence, the second citizen was alive and testified against Anton Serednik. The Ukrainian soldier will appeal the verdict, his lawyer Vladimir Bakulov was quoted as saying by RIA Novosti.

In another case, a court in the Russian-occupied city of Donetsk charged another Ukrainian soldier, Sergei Damchik, with “attempting to kill three civilians” in Mariupol in April 2022, according to the Russian Investigative Committee.

According to the Investigative Committee, a court in Luhansk sentenced Roman Bondarenko to 14 years in prison on February 25, 2022, in the city of Shchastiya, who was accused of shooting and injuring a woman with a grenade.

In recent days, Russian justice has increased the harshest punishments against Kyiv soldiers accused of crimes. Yesterday, Russian occupation authorities in eastern Ukraine sentenced three captured Ukrainian soldiers to 26 years in prison for “attempted murder” and “brutal treatment of civilians” in Mariupol in the spring of 2022. Last week, two other players were sentenced to 26 years in prison. For the killing of a civilian in Mariupol. One soldier was sentenced to life imprisonment and two others to 30 years in prison for similar acts. On October 31, three soldiers were sentenced to life in prison for the alleged repeat murders in Mariupol.

Brussels recommends opening EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova

The European Commission recommends opening EU accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova and granting candidate status to Georgia, European Commission President Ursula van der Leyen announced this Wednesday. “Today is a historic day,” declared Ms von der Leyen, announcing to the press the Commission’s favorable opinion on opening accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova.

Volodymyr Zelensky welcomes G7 “strong statement” on support for Ukraine

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday welcomed the G7’s “strong declaration” of support for his country, while kyiv fears a growing fatigue for its allies. “I welcomed today a strong statement from the G7 foreign ministers who reaffirmed their unwavering support for Ukraine, even against the backdrop of other world events,” he thanked, following an interview with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida. X (formerly Twitter).

Ukraine says it will remove Russian official in occupied territory

According to local military intelligence, Ukraine says it is removing a Russian officer in occupied territory. Mykhailo Filiponenko, a deputy and former military officer, was killed when his car exploded in the Russian-occupied Luhansk (Eastern) Ukrainian region.

The special operation to liquidate the executioner Filiponenko was carried out jointly with representatives of the Ukrainian resistance movement in this area, the department was coordinated with the Ministry of Defense in Telegram.

Slovakia Blocks Planned Arms Delivery to Ukraine

The Slovak government decided this Wednesday to block a major arms delivery to Ukraine planned by the previous administration, in line with new Prime Minister Robert Fico’s pledges. Its official website indicated that “the government has not approved a plan to donate military equipment to Ukraine” worth more than 40 million euros. Mr. Fico’s new coalition government includes a far-right, pro-Russian party.

Anti-war artist sentenced to eight years in Russia

The Russian prosecutor’s office sought an eight-year prison sentence against artist Alexandra Skochilenko, who was arrested in Russia in April 2022 for altering price tags in a supermarket with messages condemning the attack in Ukraine. According to Novaya Gazeta Europe and Mediazona, the independent Russian media at the trial in a St. Petersburg court, the prosecution sought the sentence because it believed Ms. Skochilenko was guilty of “spreading false information” about the Russian military.

Ukraine expects positive feedback from Brussels on EU accession talks

Ukraine hopes to get the green light from Brussels on Wednesday to begin accession talks with the European Union, which Kiev, which has been at war with Russia for nearly two years, hopes to join as soon as possible. “Ukraine will be part of the European Union,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky promised on Tuesday evening, ahead of the European Commission’s release of an opinion on whether or not to start formal negotiations, an important step towards Ukraine’s entry into the EU. In June 2022, the EU granted candidate status to Ukraine, months after the war began, in a highly symbolic gesture to neighboring Moldova.

G7 pledges ‘never wavering’ support for Ukraine

The G7’s support for Ukraine will “never weaken” in the face of Russian aggression, the foreign ministers of the club’s member states pledged in Tokyo this Wednesday, while Kiev fears that fatigue will gradually spread to its allies. The G7 wants to “strengthen coordination on economic sanctions against Russia” and “take new measures to prevent Moscow from evading these restrictions”. It called on China to “not help” Russia in its war against Ukraine.

Russian official killed in car explosion in eastern Ukraine

A member of parliament and former army officer Mykhailo Filiponenko died when his car exploded in the Russian-occupied Luhansk (East) region of Ukraine, local news site Lug-info reported on Wednesday. The victim’s son, Ivan Filiponenko, told Luck-Info that his father suffered “fatal injuries” in the blast. According to this media, Mikhail Pilibenko was a member of the local parliament and a former officer of the Luhansk separatist army.

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The first Dutch F-16 was sent to Romania

The Netherlands has sent the first five F-16 fighter jets to Romania, where they will be used to train Ukrainian pilots, the Dutch Defense Ministry announced on Tuesday. Backed by the United States, Denmark and the Netherlands formalized a commitment in August to provide 61 planes once Ukrainian pilots were trained.

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Follow live throughout the day ladepeche.fr Wednesday, November 8, 2023 Latest news about the war in Ukraine.