Russian invasion

The world's response
France in new missile defense agreement with Ukraine

France and Ukraine have signed a new agreement on "special technical and operational cooperation" to counter Russia's attacks with ballistic missiles, reports Kyiv Post.

The announcement comes after a telephone conversation between Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday.

In a Facebook post, Zelensky thanks his French counterpart for his "principled condemnation" of Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilians.

"France is ready to work on the anti-ballistic capability. This is a strong decision and an important step," he writes.

No exact details about what the cooperation entails are given. 

Putin's Russia
Putin is trying to turn more Moldovans into Russians

Yesterday, Vladimir Putin signed a decree to make it easier for residents of the Moldovan breakaway region of Transnistria to become Russian citizens. Now they don’t need to speak Russian or be in Russia, writes Politico.

“They probably need more people to send to the war in Ukraine,” says Moldovan President Maia Sandu.

Putin’s tactic is to discourage Moldova from reintegrating Transnistria, where the majority of the population has held on to their Moldovan citizenship since the invasion of Ukraine, she adds.

Transnistria, a narrow strip of land in eastern Moldova bordering Ukraine, declared independence when the Soviet Union fell and is supported economically and militarily by Russia. It is internationally seen as an autonomous region of Moldova.