The Vatican confirmed on Thursday that an apology was being made to Russia for Pope Francis’ statements about the alleged cruel behavior of Russian ethnic minorities in the conflict in Ukraine. “I confirm that there have been diplomatic contacts in this regard,” said the director of the Vatican press service, Matteo Bruni.
Pope Francis underlined in an interview at the end of November that some of the “cruelest” fighters of the Russian offensive in Ukraine “are not of Russian tradition”, but belong to minorities such as “Chechens or Buryats”, referring to the peoples of these Russian regions.
New in development
The US plans to more than double the number of Ukrainian troops trained in Germany
The body of an unidentified soldier lies near a burning Russian armored personnel carrier (APC) during fighting with the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Kharkiv. photo by AFP
The Pentagon is expanding the training the US military provides to Ukrainian troops, with plans to do so more than doubling the number of forces it trains at a base in Germanyaccording to two US officials.
The training expansion, which officials say President Joe Biden approved this week, would allow U.S. instructors to train a battalion of Ukrainians — between 600 and 800 troops — every month starting early next year, they said. said the officials. Read more.
The Vatican confirms its apology to Moscow after the Pope’s words
Pope Francis had accused Russian ethnic minorities of being the “cruelest” in the conflict with Ukraine. photo by ANSA
The Vatican confirmed on Thursday that an apology has been issued to Russia for Pope Francis’ remarks on the alleged cruel behavior of Russian ethnic minorities in the conflict in Ukraine.
“I confirm that there have been diplomatic contacts in this sense,” said the director of the Vatican press service, Matteo Bruni, when asked about a statement by the spokeswoman for Russian diplomacy, Maria Zajárova, who said Thursday that the Vatican apologized after these words of the holy father.
Pope Francis underlined in an interview at the end of November that some of the “cruelest” fighters of the Russian offensive in Ukraine “are not of Russian tradition”, but belong to minorities such as “Chechens or Buryats”, referring to the peoples of these Russian regions.
These words provoked furious reactions in Russia. “This isn’t even Russophobia anymore, it’s perversion,” Zajárova wrote on Telegram.
Two-thirds of Ukrainians arriving in Germany intend to stay in the country
More than a million Ukrainian refugees settled in Germany. AP Photo
According to a survey released today in Berlin, about two-thirds of the more than one million Ukrainians who have arrived in Germany since the start of the Russian invasion intend to stay in the country for a long time and even after the end of the war.
About 34% of those interviewed by the Research Center of the Federal Department of Immigration and Refugees (Bamf) plan to return to their country as soon as the conflict is over.
This percentage contrasts with the approximately 25% who plan to stay in Germany forever, while 13% plan to live in the country for many or several years. 27% declare that they do not have a certain opinion on the matter and only 2% expect to return to Ukraine within the next year.
Some 11,000 Ukrainians who had arrived in Germany since the start of the invasion on 24 February took part in the survey. Among families with children arriving in the country, 90% declare that at least one of these minors has already attended school in Germany.
H&M closes its last stores in Russia
H&M has finished closing its stores in Russia and Belarus. Photo EFE
Swedish fashion giant H&M announced it on Thursday it has closed its last stores in Russia and also in Belarusafter his gradual withdrawal from the country following the invasion of Ukraine.
“H&M Group liquidated its operations in Russia and Belarus this quarter, the remaining ‘stock’ was sold and the last stores were closed on Nov. 30,” the group said in a statement.
After suspending sales to Russia in March following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the industry’s number two announced its withdrawal from the country in July, at a cost of 2.1 billion SEK (about $205 million ).
The group’s sixth largest market at the end of 2021, Russia reported sales of more than SEK 2 billion in the last quarter of 2021.
Ukrainian ambassador: ‘Russia uses cold as a weapon of mass destruction’
Russia seeks to use the winter cold as a “weapon of mass destruction” against Ukraine, Ukrainian Ambassador Eugenia Filipenko assured the UN Human Rights Council today, who also noted that 97% of missiles launched by Russian forces targeted civilian buildings.
“In revenge for its military losses on the ground, Russia has begun using cold weather as a weapon of mass destruction, deliberately attacking Ukraine’s energy infrastructure,” the head of the Ukrainian mission to the United Nations in Geneva said in a debate on the special advice on the situation in your country.
Bombing with two dead in the center of Kherson
Ukrainian servicemen fire a Pion 2S7 self-propelled gun, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues, on the frontline in Kherson region, Ukraine November 9, 2022. REUTERS/Viacheslav Ratynskyi
The Ukrainian authorities reported on Thursday of a new bombing in the city of Kherson (south), with at least two dead, adding to the three previously reported in the whole region.
The attack took place in the city center, about 100 meters from the headquarters of the regional authorities, the deputy head of the Ukrainian presidential office, Kyrylo Timoshenko, reported via his Telegram account.
Ukraine denounces the existence of torture chambers for minors in Kherson
The Ukrainian authorities have denounced the existence of torture chambers for minors in Khersonthe region still partially under the control of Russian troops, in which psychological and physical pressure was exerted on these victims.
In total, they located ten of these camerassaid the delegate for human rights in the Ukrainian parliament, Dimytro Lubinets.
The chambers were similar to those used for adult prisoners, where the minors were given barely water every two days and practically nothing to eataccording to that source.
To physical punishment is added psychological pressure on minors, to whom It has been claimed that they had been abandoned by their parents. and that they would never come back for them to free them.
Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.