At 8 a.m. (French time), “there were three explosions in the city,” Mayor Alexandre Lomaco said on national television, reporting “at least four deaths.” It was a “direct strike on a social infrastructure building,” he added.
Wednesday morning's Russian missile attack on Chernihiv in northern Ukraine left “many dead and wounded,” the region's governor said in a telegram.
“The enemy launched a three-missile attack almost on the city center. There are dead civilians, many are injured,” Governor Vyacheslav Sousz said in a video posted on Telegram.
Twenty countries have pledged to buy Ukraine half a million bombs outside of Europe, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala said on Tuesday. The Czech Republic has launched an international fundraising campaign to buy ammunition for the Ukrainian army, which is not at war with Russia.
EU countries had promised to deliver one million bombs to Kiev by the end of March, but were unable to deliver them due to insufficient production capacity. However, Prague has confirmed that it has identified significant stocks of shells, totaling around 800,000 pieces, available for purchase outside continental Europe.
“I am pleased that about 20 countries are currently joining our effort, from Canada to Poland, Germany and the Netherlands,” said Petr Fiala, visiting Washington. Among the countries participating in the initiative are the Baltic states, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal and Slovenia, the Czech newspaper reported.
The future of US aid to Ukraine is back on the agenda. After the Republican leader of the House of Representatives announced an initiative that won him cautious support from the White House, but also the ire of some members of his own party.
On Monday evening, Mike Johnson indicated that he would submit four separate texts to a vote this week: one to help Ukraine, one to Israel, a third to “strengthen our allies in the Indo-Pacific region” and a final one to “adopt additional” measures to strengthen our national security against our adversaries. The White House on Tuesday threw its support behind these new plans, albeit with precautionary measures.
A $60 billion package of military and economic aid to Ukraine passed the Senate in February. But Republicans in the House of Representatives refused to consider the text because of the immigration issue, among others.
Lithuania and German arms manufacturer Rheinmetall announced on Tuesday the construction of an ammunition production plant in the Baltic state. Germany's largest arms manufacturer Rheinmetall and the Lithuanian government are planning to build a factory to manufacture 155mm artillery shells.
Like every day, the 20 Minutes editorial team works to bring you all the information on the clash. This Wednesday marks the 783rd day of the conflict. Tuesday marked the promulgation of a new controversial demobilization law in Ukraine, which has left at least 37,000 people missing since the start of the conflict.
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