International press review
Headline: The Battle of Donbass has begun in Ukraine
Audio 05:05
Tanks of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on a street in a village in the Donetsk region, April 18, 2022. © REUTERS / SERHII NUZHNENKO
By: Véronique Rigolet Follow
4 mins
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A rain of bombs, dozens of Russian strikes last night on the Donbass.
"
The Kremlin begins the battle for eastern Ukraine
", headlines the
Washington Post
, the "
dreaded battle
" has begun, also underlines the
New York Times
for which "
artillery and rocket fire are no doubt that the prelude to a larger assault
” by Russian forces in the Donbass.
"
Perhaps a turning point in the war
", underlines the American daily, "
if he manages to take control of the region, Vladimir Putin could thus claim a semblance of victory
», 3 weeks after its failure to take the capital kyiv in the north of the country.
“
10,000 Russian soldiers
” would be engaged in this conquest of the east, reports for its part the
Süddeutsche Zeitung,
“
in this Donbass where the Ukrainian forces have already been fighting the Russian separatists for 8 years
”.
"
This new phase of the war promises to be brutal
", fears the
Washington Post,
while Russia "
seems to have learned the lessons of its failure in the north
", "
in particular by destroying in recent days weapons sites to weaken the Ukrainian defences
", further emphasizes the
Post
, which specifies that "
President Biden is scheduled to speak with US allies and partners today
” about this new phase of the Russian invasion.
The sinking of the
Moskva
could have caused dozens of victims
"
The sinking of the warship causes tensions in the country
", reports the
Washington Post
, in Russia "
where the anger of the families who report the death or the disappearance of sailors is rumbling, while the Ministry of Defense says that all the crew was evacuated
.
“
The mother of a young sailor from the Moskva says (however) that dozens of people died during the sinking
”, underlines for its part the
Times
which thus collected testimonies from several families.
Families "
who are demanding answers while the total number of dead and missing from a crew of 500 sailors remains a state secret
", notes the
Guardian
, which points out that "
the authorities' efforts to suppress all information
" are now arousing comparisons with another tragedy, “
that of the Kursk submarine
”, the sinking of which in 2000 left 118 dead and dealt “
a serious blow to the prestige of young President Putin
”.
"
New photos of the Russian cruiser also show that it was probably hit by Ukrainian missiles
", notes the
Guardian
again , which invalidates the Kremlin's assertions invoking "
an accidental fire
.
Two British soldiers in exchange for Putin's friend?
"
Moscow and Kiev have embarked on a dramatic escalation of the propaganda war
," comments the
Guardian
, which reports that the Russians "
have broadcast on television the appeals of the two Britons captured in Ukraine, Shaun Pinner and Aiden Aslin
" who are pleading
Boris Johnson to release them in exchange for Medvedchuk.
“
The Ukrainian oligarch, Putin's ally, whose Ukrainians also released a video asking to be exchanged
”.
“
This is the first time that an exchange of prisoners has been so publicly exploited between the two countries
”, underlines the
Guardian
, for which “
this increases the pressure on Boris Johnson
”.
"
He will have to negotiate with Vladimir Putin
," said
La Repubblica
.
Boris Johnson faces Parliament amid '
partygate
' turmoil
Boris Johnson risks being forced into "
a walk of shame
" in Parliament, explains the
Daily Mirror
, while the Prime Minister must address MPs "
for the 1st time after the fine he received for having violates the anti-Covid containment rules
”.
"
The Prime Minister is going to have to present his official apologies
", underlines for his part the
Times
, and he risks "
a parliamentary inquiry into whether he knowingly misled the House when he assured last December that he had followed all the instructions to the letter
”.
If the attempt “
for a no-confidence motion would almost certainly fail ”, the
Times
still believes
, some conservatives could support it if “
other fines were to follow
” against the Prime Minister.
“
Boris Johnson remains on an ejection seat
”, comments on his side the
Guardian
.
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Ukraine
Volodymyr Zelensky
Russia
Vladimir Poutine
United States
Joe Biden
NATO
European Union
UK
Boris Johnson
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