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War in Ukraine: kyiv denounces a new drone attack on Odessa

The port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine was reportedly attacked by the Russian army with Iranian-made drones, according to statements by Ukrainian military authorities on Sunday.

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War in Ukraine: kyiv denounces a new drone attack on Odessa

The port city of Odessa in southern Ukraine was reportedly attacked by the Russian army with Iranian-made drones, according to statements by Ukrainian military authorities on Sunday. This is the second Russian attack using Iranian drones in two days against this strategic Black Sea city, after the one which killed two civilians on Friday, according to Ukraine, and caused tensions between kyiv and Tehran.

In Russia, Russian President Vladimir Putin is tightening the screw. On Saturday, he signed amendments providing for up to ten years in prison for soldiers who surrender or refuse to fight. These legislative changes come as Russia this week decreed a partial mobilization of reservists to fight in Ukraine, where Moscow's forces have suffered setbacks in recent weeks. This mobilization order, which according to the authorities concerns 300,000 people, has aroused the concern of many Russians, some choosing to leave the country.

In full mobilization of its reservists to go and fight in Ukraine, Moscow tightened, on Saturday September 24, the penalties incurred by deserters and arrested hundreds of demonstrators, after dismissing its head of military logistics. Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed amendments providing for up to ten years in prison for soldiers who desert or refuse to fight.

He also signed a law that facilitates access to Russian nationality for foreigners who enlist for at least a year in the army, at a time when Moscow is seeking by all means to recruit more men to fight in Ukraine. These measures of firmness did not, however, dissuade the opponents of this partial mobilization from demonstrating on Saturday throughout the country. At least 710 people were arrested in 32 cities, nearly half of them in Moscow, according to OVD-Info, an organization specializing in counting arrests.

This Sunday, two senior Russian parliamentarians expressed criticism of the campaign to mobilize reservists in Russia, demanding that local officials control the situation and quickly put an end to the "excesses" that have angered the population. Testimonies and information have reported conscription notices issued to people who have not performed military service, while Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu assured that only people with special military skills or combat experience would be called upon to join the army.

Reputedly close to Vladimir Putin, the speaker of the Russian Federation Council, the upper house of parliament, Valentina Matvienko, said she had been informed that men had received conscription notices when they were not eligible for the mobilization. "Such excesses are absolutely unacceptable. And I consider it absolutely normal that they trigger a strong reaction in society," she said. In the message to regional governors - who she said bear "full responsibility" for the implementation of the mobilization - she wrote: "Ensure that the implementation of the partial mobilization is carried out in the total and absolute compliance with the defined criteria. Without the slightest error".

The speaker of the Duma, the lower house of parliament, Vyacheslav Volodin, also expressed his concerns: "Complaints are filed," he said. "If a mistake is made, it is necessary to correct it. Authorities at all levels must be aware of their responsibilities." According to the Russian authorities, 300,000 people are affected by the mobilization campaign.

A hotel in Kherson, a city in southern Ukraine under Russian occupation, was bombed on Sunday, killing two. Pro-Russian authorities have accused Kyiv forces of being behind the strike, but these claims have yet to be independently verified. According to known data, two people died, and rescuers continue to dig through the rubble.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the four Ukrainian regions where "referendums" are currently taking place will be under Moscow's "full protection" if annexed by Russia.

At a press conference after his speech at the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Lavrov was asked whether Russia would have any reason to use nuclear weapons to defend annexed regions of Ukraine. He said Russian territory - including territory "still enshrined" in the Russian constitution in the future - "is under full state protection". "All laws, doctrines, concepts and strategies of the Russian Federation apply throughout its territory," he said, while referring specifically to Russian doctrine on the use of nuclear weapons. .

China and India on Saturday called from the United Nations rostrum for a peaceful resolution to the war in Ukraine, without supporting Russia, which is isolated. She fulminated against the "grotesque Russophobia" of the West. "We call on all parties concerned to prevent the crisis from overflowing and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of developing countries," Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

"The priority is to facilitate peace negotiations", he insisted, calling for "fair and pragmatic" discussions for a "peaceful resolution of the crisis". China is officially neutral but sometimes accused by Westerners of being too conciliatory with Russia, although US officials expressed measured hopes after Beijing's statements this week at the UN.

Fake headlines from the French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo have been circulating in recent days. Used by Russian propaganda, it shows satirical drawings making fun of Volodymyr Zelensky or calling on French citizens not to get involved in the war in Ukraine. The editorial staff of Charlie Hebdo denounced "false headlines badly drawn". Below, the one supposedly published by the editorial staff on September 19th.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking directly to Russian citizens on Saturday evening, told them that their president was knowingly sending "citizens to their deaths". "Russian power understands perfectly well that it is sending its citizens to death," said the head of state in Russian, calling on Moscow's forces to surrender. "You will be treated in a civilized manner...no one will know the circumstances of your surrender," he said just hours after Russia passed a law toughening penalties for voluntary surrender and desertion.

Iran on Saturday regretted kyiv's decision to "significantly reduce" Iran's diplomatic presence in the country, in retaliation for arms deliveries from Tehran to Moscow. "Tehran expresses its regret for the decision of the Ukrainian government regarding diplomatic relations with the Islamic Republic of Iran," said Nasser Kanani, spokesman for the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in a statement.

"This decision, he said, is based on unfounded information, relayed by foreign media propaganda" against Tehran. According to the Ukrainian army, a civilian was killed Friday in a Russian attack carried out using Iranian drones on the port city of Odessa, in southern Ukraine.

Brahim Saadoun, the young Moroccan prisoner of war released as part of an exchange between Moscow and Ukraine, said he wanted to "draw attention to the difficult situation in Ukraine and the struggle of its people" on his return to Morocco Saturday evening. "I'm happy to come home after going through very difficult times," the 21-year-old student said in an interview with AFP from his parents' home in a working-class district of Casablanca.

"I want to draw attention to the difficult situation in Ukraine and the struggle of its people in this painful time," he pleaded. This aeronautical engineering student, established in Ukraine since 2019, regained freedom on Wednesday with nine other foreign prisoners of war - including five British and two Americans - as part of an exchange between Moscow and kyiv, favored by Saudi mediation.

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