Description
Added on the 30/08/2022 12:37:34 - Copyright : France 24 EN
Ahead of a peace summit, Ukrainian government forces launch a counter-offensive near Mariupol with President Poroshenko saying his government is prepared to introduce martial law if the crisis escalates. Mana Rabiee reports.
A Russian court sentences top human rights campaigner Oleg Orlov to two and a half years in jail for denouncing Russia's offensive against Ukraine. The judge finds Orlov guilty for "committing a crime under article 280" ("calls for extremist activity") and orders "imprisonment for a period of two years and six months." Orlov was accused of discrediting the Russian army after writing a column written for the French online publication Mediapart, and fined in October after a first trial. IMAGES
"In the ongoing counteroffensive progress has accelerated in the past few weeks. This new assistance will help sustain it and build further momentum", says US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken during his unannounced visit to Kyiv. SOUNDBITE
Images from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where the Wagner mercenary group has taken control of key military sites, show tanks, armoured vehicles and Wagner fighters on the streets and around the headquarters of the Southern Military District. IMAGES
Images from the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, where the Wagner mercenary group has taken control of key military sites, show armoured vehicles and Wagner soldiers lining the streets as residents walk around them or watch on in groups. In an earlier televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin acknowledged a "difficult" situation was unfolding in the city as Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin vowed to oust the Russian military's top brass. IMAGES
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa calls on Ukraine and Russia to de-escalate their conflict, as he arrived in the war-torn country on a mission to broker peace. SOUNDBITE