World

A senior Kyiv official on Wednesday accused the International Committee of the Red Cross of working “in concert” with Russia in Ukraine, a charge the organisation denied.

Ombudswoman Lyudmyla Denisova decried ICRC’s announcement last month that it was planning to open a branch in Russia’s southern Rostov region to help Ukrainian refugees, who, Kyiv says, have been forcibly deported to Russia.

“The International Red Cross is not fulfilling its mandate, I am certain of that,” Denisova said on Ukrainian television Wednesday after meeting with the head of the ICRC’s Ukrainian branch.

Citing data from the United Nations, Denisova said that some 550,000 Ukrainians, including 121,000 children, have been taken to Russia during the course of the war, but Kyiv has no information on who these people are and where they are being kept.

“Where are they? In filtration camps? In temporary facilities?” Denisova asked.

The official said she had asked both her Russian counterpart Tatyana Moskalkova and the ICRC for help in getting information on these refugees so that Ukraine could facilitate their return home, but had received “zero answer from her or from the Red Cross”.

Asked by the TV anchor whether Denisova suspected that the Red Cross was working “in concert” with Russia, Denisova replied: “Yes, I suspect they are.”

The ICRC strongly rejected Kyiv’s accusations.

“The ICRC does not ever help organize or carry out forced evacuations. We would not support any operation that would go against people’s will and international law,” the organisation said in a statement to AFP.

It added: “Building and maintaining a dialogue with parties to a conflict is essential to get access to all people affected and obtain necessary security guarantees for our teams to deliver life-saving aid.”

The Red Cross said it has been exploring the possibility to open an office in southern Russia.

“Our sole objective is to alleviate the suffering of the people affected by the armed conflict. And the suffering right now is simply immense.”

Palestinian militants fired volleys of rockets from Gaza into Israel, which responded with air strikes in the early hours of Thursday in the biggest escalation since an 11-day war last year.

A rocket from Gaza on Wednesday evening fell harmlessly in a garden in the southern Israeli city of Sderot, police said.

Israel struck back in central Gaza after midnight, witnesses and security sources said, prompting further launches of at least four rockets by militants in the besieged territory.

Israel’s army said its jets had targeted a military post and a tunnel complex “containing raw chemicals used for the manufacturing of rocket engines”. 

Hamas, the Islamist movement which rules Gaza, said it had fired surface-to-air rockets at Israeli planes.

The exchanges come after nearly a month of deadly violence in Israel and the Palestinian Territories, focused on Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, known to Jews as the Temple Mount.

Hours earlier, Israeli police had blocked crowds of Jewish ultra-nationalist protesters from approaching the Muslim quarter of the Old City in east Jerusalem, aiming to head off an escalation after four weeks of violence that have left at least 36 people dead.

Last year, a similar ultra-nationalist march had been scheduled in the Old City when Hamas launched a barrage of rockets towards Israel, sparking the 11-day war.

Early Wednesday evening, more than a thousand ultra-nationalist demonstrators waving Israeli flags had gathered, some shouting “death to the Arabs”, but the police blocked them from reaching Damascus Gate and the Old City’s Muslim quarter.

Far-right lawmaker Itamar Ben Gvir, a controversial opposition politician, led the protest after being barred from the Damascus Gate area earlier in the day by Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. 

“I’ll say it clearly, I’m not going to blink, not going to fold,” Ben Gvir told AFP, as his fans chanted “Bennett go home!”

“I’m not allowed to enter Damascus gate,” the former lawyer said. “Based on what law?”

Bennett had said earlier in a statement he had blocked the rally for security reasons.

“I have no intention of allowing petty politics to endanger human lives,” he said.

“I will not allow a political provocation by Ben Gvir to endanger IDF (Israeli army) soldiers and Israeli police officers, and render their already heavy task even heavier.” 

Ben Gvir retorted Thursday that “some Jews don’t surrender to Hamas”.

– ‘Provocation’ –

Tensions are high as the Jewish Passover festival coincides with the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Palestinians and Israeli Arabs carried out four deadly attacks in Israel in late March and early April that claimed 14 lives, mostly civilians.

A total of 23 Palestinians have meanwhile been killed since March 22, including assailants who targeted Israelis, according to an AFP tally.

On Tuesday, Israel carried out its first air strike on the Gaza Strip in months, in response to the first rocket since January from the Palestinian enclave.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was “deeply concerned by the deteriorating situation in Jerusalem”.

He added that he was in contact with the parties to press them “to do all they can to lower tensions, avoid inflammatory actions and rhetoric”, according to a statement by his spokesperson in New York.

Bennett, himself a right-winger and a key figure in Israel’s settlement movement, leads an ideologically divided coalition government.

Earlier this month, his coalition lost its one-seat majority in the 120-seat Knesset, Israel’s parliament, after a member left in a dispute over the use of leavened bread products in hospitals during Passover.

Then on Sunday, the Raam party, drawn from the country’s Arab-Israeli minority, suspended its support for the coalition over the Al-Aqsa violence.

Right-wing lawmakers are under pressure to quit Israel’s government, which is seen by some on the right as being too favourable to Palestinians and Israel’s Arab minority.

Pnina, a 62-year-old civil servant demonstrating in Jerusalem on Wednesday, told AFP that “we want to go to all of Jerusalem, and our government is not letting us”.

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French President Emmanuel Macron and far-right rival Marine Le Pen on Wednesday clashed bitterly over relations with Russia and the Islamic headscarf as they sought to sway undecided voters in an acrimonious debate four days ahead of presidential elections.

France faces a stark choice in Sunday’s second-round run-off between the centrist Macron and the anti-immigration Le Pen, who will seek to become the country’s first far-right head of state in an outcome that would send shockwaves around Europe.

There was little cordiality in the bruising three-hour live televised debate, with Macron repeatedly seeking to land punches on Le Pen over her record, while she sought to keep the focus on the government’s performance. 

With Russia’s invasion of Ukraine overshadowing the campaign, Macron angrily zeroed in on a loan Le Pen’s party had taken from a Czech-Russian bank ahead of her 2017 election campaign.

“You are dependent on the Russian government and you are dependent on Mr (Russian President Vladimir) Putin,” Macron said. “When you speak to Russia you are speaking to your banker.”

Macron also referred to Le Pen’s past recognition of Russia’s 2014 annexation of the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea. “Why did you do this?” he asked.

Le Pen replied that she was “an absolutely and totally free woman”, arguing that her party had only taken that loan as it could not find financing in France where banks refused to lend to her.

Macron adopted a variety of poses to express scepticism at her arguments, raising his eyebrows, leaning his chin on his fists and lamenting in apparent bewilderment “Madame Le Pen… Madame Le Pen!” 

– ‘Civil war’ –

The most explosive clash came when Le Pen confirmed she was sticking to her controversial policy of banning the wearing of the Islamic headscarf by women in public, describing it as a “uniform imposed by Islamists”.

Macron responded: “You are going to cause a civil war if you do that. I say this sincerely.” 

She also vowed to put an end to “anarchic and massive” immigration into France, claiming it was worsening crime which she said was becoming “unbearable” for people all over the country.

The priority for Le Pen was to avoid a repeat of the 2017 run-off debate where Macron managed to make her look flustered and sometimes not on top of her brief.

“It’s not Gerard Majax (on TV) this evening,” retorted Macron, referring to a well-known French television conjurer. “You never explain how you will finance your projects and you are not honest with people.”

She sought to put heat on the president, mocking how the “Mozart of finance” had left a “bad” economic legacy that included an extra 600 billion euros ($650 billion) in national debt.

On the environment, Le Pen hit back at Macron’s accusation that she was “climate-sceptic” by calling him a “climate-hypocrite”. 

Turning to Europe, Le Pen insisted she wanted to stay in the European Union but reform the bloc into an “alliance of nations”.

“Europe is not all or nothing,” she said, as Macron retorted that she appeared to be proposing something other than EU membership.

“Your policy is to leave Europe,” he said, describing the election as a “referendum for or against the EU”. 

There were also intense exchanges on daily concerns such as the rising cost of living, which Le Pen has made a major feature of her campaign.

Both candidates have their eyes on voters who backed third-placed hard-left candidate Jean-Luc Melenchon in the first round. He has refused to urge his supporters to vote for Macron in order to keep Le Pen out of the Elysee Palace.

Le Pen said she had seen people “suffering” over the first five years of Macron’s rule and that “another choice is possible”.

Macron replied that “we must and should improve people’s daily lives through major projects for the school and health systems”.

– Tighter race –

Macron is favourite to win the run-off, with most polls showing an advantage of over 10 percent, which would make him the first French president to win a second term since Jacques Chirac in 2002.

But analysts and allies of the president have warned the result is far from a foregone conclusion, with polls indicating over 10 percent of French who intend to cast their ballots have yet to decide who to vote for.

Supporters of both camps celebrated the performances of their candidates, with Macron brandishing his trademark self-confidence and Le Pen avoiding the pitfalls of 2017.

But the challenger did not at any moment cause Macron discomfort, while the president adopted a much more aggressive approach.

“Macron on the attack, Le Pen on the defensive,” headlined the Le Parisien daily in its Thursday edition. The left-leading Liberation said Le Pen was “vague on numerous subjects” and Macron “arrogant”.

A snap opinion poll by Elabe for BFM TV said 59 percent of viewers found Macron the most convincing and that 39 percent plumped for Le Pen.

“Such a waste,” tweeted Melenchon. “The country deserved better”.

The US Capitol was briefly evacuated Wednesday after a false alarm saw police tracking an aircraft they said was a “probable threat” — but reportedly turned out to be carrying parachutists as part of a baseball pregame show.

Police tasked with protecting the complex at the heart of US government in Washington issued an initial statement shortly after 6:30 pm (2230 GMT) saying they had ordered an evacuation as they were “tracking an aircraft that poses a probable threat.”

They did not give further details.

The news became a top headline within minutes in the United States, where the memories of September 11, 2001 attacks — which saw Al-Qaeda fly passenger jets into the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington — are still poignant.

But police swiftly issued a second statement to say the order had been given “out of an abundance of caution” and that there was “no threat” to the complex.

“The aircraft no longer poses a threat to the Capitol Complex and the USCP is now preparing buildings for reentry,” said the update from the US Capitol Police.

Neither the House of Representatives nor the Senate, the chambers of Congress that are located in the Capitol, were in session at the time of the scare.

There was no immediate explanation for the order, but unverified reports suggested it came after a parachute display at the nearby Washington Nationals Park, a baseball stadium, part of a pregame show for “Military Appreciation Night.”

NBC’s Capitol Hill correspondent Garrett Haake tweeted that he had “Just watched some people parachute down over/near the US Capitol amid an evacuation order.”

NBC, citing police, said they were part of a demonstration by the Golden Knights at the stadium. The Golden Knights are the US Army’s official aerial parachute demonstration team. 

“Seems they might not have told Capitol Police they’d be in the airspace. One officer here told me she saw the small plane appearing to circle before the parachuters jumped,” Haake tweeted.

The stadium is roughly 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) from the Capitol. The Nationals were playing the Arizona Diamondbacks there Wednesday.

The US Capitol was the focal point of an actual violent attack just 15 months ago, on January 6 2021, when supporters of then-president Donald Trump stormed the building in an effort to stop certification of Joe Biden’s presidential election victory.

Despite Wednesday’s scare being a false alarm, lawmakers and visitors were shaken by the warning.

“We just went through a very stressful 15 minutes, but we are thankful that everyone is safe,” congresswoman Teresa Leger Fernández said on Twitter.

Two young Swiss tourists visiting Washington said they were walking towards the historic white domed Capitol to take a tour when police waved them away from the structure.

“They shut the security barriers behind us. They didn’t tell us why and I thought it was better not to ask,” said one of the tourists, who asked not to be named.

Ukraine called Wednesday for urgent negotiations with Russia in Mariupol, which appeared close to falling after weeks of siege, as Vladimir Putin flexed his military muscle with the test launch of a new, nuclear capable ICBM.

Washington downplayed the test of the intercontinental ballistic missile and said it had been notified in advance, but Putin said it would make the Kremlin’s enemies “think twice”, raising tensions nearly two months after he invaded Ukraine and ignited a global crisis.

Mariupol, a strategic port city on the Sea of Azov, has been under a horrific siege almost since the invasion began. On Wednesday, Moscow issued another call for the devastated city’s defenders to surrender.

But Kyiv proposed a “special round” of talks with Moscow, without any conditions, in Mariupol itself. 

“One on one. Two on two. To save our guys, Azov, military, civilians, children, the living & the wounded. Everyone. Because they are ours,” wrote top Ukraine negotiator and presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak on Twitter.

He tweeted after a Ukrainian commander in the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol issued a desperate plea for help, saying his marines were “maybe facing our last days, if not hours”.

“The enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one,” said Serhiy Volyna from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade.

“We appeal and plead to all world leaders to help us. We ask them to use the procedure of extraction and take us to the territory of a third-party state.”

An adviser to the city’s mayor described a “horrible situation” in the encircled steel plant and reported that up to 2,000 people — mostly women and children — are without supplies of drinking water, food and fresh air.

“Powerful bombs have been dropped several times on Azovstal, we have been bombed from boats… we are under siege. The front is 360 degrees,” said Svyatoslav Palamar, a commander in the nationalist Azov battalion defending the city, in a post on Telegram. 

“The situation is critical, we call on international leaders to help the children,” he added.

Mariupol has become a symbol of Ukraine’s unexpectedly fierce resistance since Russian troops invaded the former Soviet state on February 24.

Capturing it would allow Russia to have a land bridge between the Crimea peninsula, which it annexed in 2014, and the two Moscow-backed separatist statelets in Ukraine’s east. 

The offer of talks came after Kyiv said it had agreed with Russian forces to open a safe route for civilians to flee the devastated city — but that the had attempt failed.

– Biden ‘amazed’ by resistance –

As fighting raged in Ukraine’s east and south, European Council leader Charles Michel visited Kyiv and vowed the EU would do “everything possible” to help Ukraine win the war.

“You are not alone. We are with you,” Michel said during a press conference alongside Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Zelensky said his country still did not have enough weapons to resist the invasion, despite billions in military aid from Western allies — though, in a video message he added his partners “understand our needs better.”

Ahead of Michel’s arrival, the Pentagon said Ukraine had received fighter planes to bolster its air force — but later it corrected that statement, saying only aircraft parts had been delivered.

Washington has repeatedly vowed to do everything it can to help Kyiv, without igniting a direct conflict with nuclear-armed Russia.

On Wednesday US President Joe Biden said he has been “amazed” by Ukrainian resistance. 

“They’re tougher and more proud than I thought,” he said, adding that Western “weapons and ammunition are flowing in daily.”

He said NATO remains “united, focused and energized,” adding: “I don’t think Putin counted on it.”

– ‘Nothing good’ –

Russia said Wednesday its forces had launched 73 air strikes across Ukraine, hitting dozens of locations where Ukrainian troops were concentrated.

In eastern Ukraine’s Kramatorsk, a large city in the Donetsk region, residents were bracing for the worst.

“It’s going to be a mess,” said Alexander, 53. “There’s nothing good to expect.”

Further from the frontlines, residents were still reeling weeks after Russian forces withdrew from the area near Kyiv. 

At a morgue in Bucha, families carefully searched body bags and examined cadavers looking for missing loved ones.

In the car park body bags arrived in carts or were piled up in trailers, vans and non-refrigerated trucks.

Four hundred bodies have been discovered there since the Russians withdrew on March 31, local police chief Vitaly Lobas told AFP. Around a quarter of them are still unidentified.

“The majority died violent deaths,” Lobas said.

Ukrainian authorities have said that over 1,200 bodies have been found in the Kyiv region so far.

Putin has said he launched the so-called military operation in Ukraine to save Russian speakers there from a “genocide” carried out by a “neo-Nazi” regime.

But his forces have faced allegations of war crimes — most recently from the EU’s Michel, who toured the devastated town of Borodianka Wednesday. 

“History will not forget the war crimes that have been committed here,” Michel wrote on Twitter. 

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