International press review
Headlines: Russians set to launch assault on Ukrainian capital
Audio 04:42
A gym in Kiev, the capital, hit by a Russian strike, March 2, 2022. © AP / Efrem Lukatsky
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
3 mins
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"
Pray for Kyiv
", "
Pray for Kiev
" urges, on the front page of the
Daily Mail
, translating all the concern of the international press, "
a concern which is at its height
",
Le Soir
tells us while, in addition to the massive bombardment from Kharkiv, the second largest city in the country, pressure is intensifying on the Ukrainian capital towards which "
a huge Russian military convoy
" is heading , tanks, armored vehicles, a convoy "
60 kilometers
long ", with some 13,000 soldiers, "
which raises fears of the worst for Kiev and its inhabitants
”, explains the Belgian daily.
"
It is all the brutality of the Russian war machine
", which is to be feared, also believes the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
, the
FAZ
which, like the
Guardian
, recalls "
the extreme brutality of Russian tactics
", of the city of "
Grozny in Chechnya which was completely razed to the ground, in Aleppo in Syria, (more recently) drowned in bombs
".
"
Bombings and the siege of the city
", this is undoubtedly the most likely scenario underlines
Le Temps
, "
a catastrophic scenario for the trapped population
", "
a real humanitarian nightmare
", laments the Swiss daily.
Thousands of Ukrainians try to flee the war
"This
is the fastest mass migration in Europe in the last 30 years
", explains the
New York Times
, "
at least 660,000 people, mainly women and children, have fled Ukraine in recent days
".
A huge migratory wave reminiscent of “
that of the Balkan war
”, estimates the American daily.
And all the special correspondents of the world press describe the same heartbreaking scenes in the stations “
where thousands of people try to obtain a place in a train
”.
The Guardian
reporter
thus evokes the “
feeling of panic yesterday in Kiev station
”, describing “
a desperate rush towards the last train leaving the capital
”.
There are children screaming, mothers crying, “
Look at them
”, a woman tells our
Guardian
colleague “
they are the same faces as in the photos of the Second World War, and it is only 5 days .
Imagine what will happen in a month
”.
President Zelensky stands out as a true hero of the resistance
Volodymyr Zelensky who refuses to leave Kiev, and swears "
that Russia will never be able to conquer Ukraine with bombs
", the courage of the young Ukrainian president, known until then as a comedian on TV, commands the admiration of the international press.
“
He is (now) a hero all over the world
”, explains the
Guardian
, a 44-year-old ex-comedian who “
has become a true warlord who leads his country disarmed in its fight against the Russian invasion
”, hails the
Washington Post
.
His “
seven minutes of speech
” on video on Tuesday in front of the European Parliament, which acclaimed him “
will remain in history
”, estimates for its part the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
which reports the strong words of Zelensky swearing “
that his people would sacrifice their lives for European ideals in its fight against the Russian invasion
".
But despite the concert of praise, and the promise that the doors of the Union will one day be open to him, "
the courageous Ukrainian president
" will have to wait, explains the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
"
even if that would be the strongest sign of solidarity towards this invaded country
", "
Ukraine is still far from fulfilling all the conditions for membership
”, also notes the
Stuttgarter Nachrichten
for which “
there is no honorary membership of the EU
”.
Pressure mounts on Gerhard Schröder, still close to Putin
The 77-year-old German ex-chancellor has just been let go by his collaborators when he still refuses to cut ties with the Kremlin and give up the positions he holds in various Russian companies.
Gerhard Schröder "
can't even save face anymore
", slices the
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung
which mocks "
the dishonorable end of a chancellor
".
The
FAZ
which, like the
Süddeutsche Zeitung
, reports the demands of part of the German political class that “
his official advantages, as former chancellor, be (quite simply) withdrawn from him
”.
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