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Zelensky: Russian spine broken, Erdogan calls Sweden | NOW

Once a day, NU.nl gives you an overview of the situation in Ukraine. This time: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who says his country has “broken the backbone of the Russian army”, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan who calls the leaders of Sweden and Finland, and a protest against sexual violence against women in Ukraine on the red carpet in Cannes.

Despite the defeat in the port city of Mariupol, Zelensky is convinced that the Ukrainian army has inflicted great damage on the Russian armed forces. Ukraine “has broken the backbone of the Russian army,” he said in a televised interview on Saturday.

The Russian Army reported Friday that the last defenders on the grounds of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol had surrendered and had been captured by the Russians. According to a pro-Russian separatist leader, 78 women and an unknown number of foreigners were among the prisoners.

Zelensky assured that all lost ground will be taken back, although he emphasized that it will be difficult. Furthermore, the president said that the war can only be ended with diplomacy. His statement comes at a time when negotiations between Moscow and Kyiv have stalled for weeks.

Erdogan calls Swedish and Finnish leaders

Erdogan said in a telephone conversation with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson that his country expects Sweden to take “concrete steps to tackle terrorist organisations,” the Turkish news agency reported. Anadolu Saturday. The two discussed the possible accession of Sweden and Finland to NATO, which Erdogan opposes.

Sweden and Finland officially applied for NATO membership on Wednesday. Erdogan, however, opposes their accession. Both countries are said to be harboring terrorists, including Kurdish militants of the PKK banned in Turkey. Swedish Foreign Minister Ann Linde emphasized on Friday that Sweden was the first country after Turkey to label the PKK as terrorist.

The Turkish president also called his Finnish counterpart Sauli Niinistö on Saturday. According to Niinistö, the two had an “open and direct” conversation and negotiations are continuing.

Russia: Former world champion Kasparov is a foreign agent

Russia has labeled former world chess champion Garry Kasparov and Kremlin critic Mikhail Khodorkovsky as foreign agents. The country is more likely to apply this designation to individuals and organizations who oppose the government. The Kremlin does this to intimidate them and limit their influence.

The decision comes after Kasparov recently criticized Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war against Ukraine. The duo will be added to a list maintained by the Ministry of Justice, state news agency reports TASS.

Meanwhile, Russian theater maker and director Kirill Serebrennikov has spoken out against the war in Ukraine during the film festival in Cannes, France. Serebrennikov has left for Germany because he does not agree with the raid.

A woman protests against sexual violence against women in Ukraine at the Cannes film festival.

A woman protests against sexual violence against women in Ukraine at the Cannes film festival.

A woman protests against sexual violence against women in Ukraine at the Cannes film festival.

Photo: AFP



Red carpet protest against sexual violence in Ukraine

At the same film festival, a woman protested Friday evening at a film premiere against sexual violence against women in Ukraine. The woman took off a large part of her clothes on the red carpet. On her body she had in paint the text “Stop raping usHer back was covered with red paint that was dripping blood from her body. She had sprayed the colors of the Ukrainian flag on the front of her body.

Festival security quickly intervened and removed the half-naked woman from the red carpet. The feminist organization Scum posted a statement on Twitter later in the evening claiming the incident.

The incident took place at the film’s premiere Three Thousand Years of Longing from director George Miller.

Ukrainians in Dutch host families are at risk of losing sight of aid organizations

Finally, thousands of Ukrainian refugees who live or have lived with a Dutch host household are at risk of being lost to aid organizations. This is apparent from conversations that NU.nl conducted with security regions, local initiatives and aid organizations.

Last week NU.nl brought it message that RefugeeHomeNL has now placed 161 Ukrainian refugees in 71 host families. Outside that organization, many people have also stepped in to help with the reception.

“That that happens is nice in itself,” says a spokesperson for the Dutch Refugee Agency, which is also involved in RefugeeHomeNL. Sometimes it is more pleasant for Ukrainian refugees to live with a family than in a large-scale shelter, she says. Read the whole story here.

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