Ukraine: Zelensky accuses Russia of “genocide” in Donbass

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of practising “genocide” in Donbass, in eastern Ukraine, where the city of Severodonetsk was experiencing a flood of bombs. Russian forces also bombed Kharkiv on Thursday, Ukraine's second largest city in the north-east of the country, which had regained some measure of normal life in recent weeks. “The current offensive by the occupiers in Donbass could make the region uninhabited,” Mr. Zelensky said in his television address on the night of Thursday and Friday, accusing the invaders of seeking to “burn down” Severodonetsk and other cities in the region.

Russian forces practice “deportation” and “mass killings of civilians” in Donbass, Zelensky continued, denouncing “an obvious policy of genocide carried out by Russia.” Mr. Zelensky's accusations echo those of Moscow, which justified its invasion by an alleged “genocide” carried out by the Ukrainians against the Russian-speaking population in Donbass.

Moscow will help “overcome the food crisis” if sanctions are lifted

Russian President Vladimir Putin said he was ready to help “overcome the food crisis” caused by the blockage of Ukrainian and Russian cereals due to the conflict in course, subject to the lifting of sanctions against Moscow. Russia “is ready to make a significant contribution to overcoming the food crisis through the export of cereals and fertilizers, subject to the lifting by the West of politically motivated restrictions,” said Mr. Putin, according to a statement from the Kremlin, during a telephone call with Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi. The Kremlin states that this call was made “at the initiative of the Italian side.”

AT A GLANCE

Several buns of cocaine, weighing a total of around 21 kg, were discovered Thursday morning by a walker on Berck beach in Pas-de-Calais, Pas-de-Calais, according to the prosecutor's office.

American actor Ray Liotta, one of the stars in the mythical film about the mafia “Goodfellas” by Martin Scorsese, died at the age of 67, while filming in D ; Dominican public.

Football: Auxerre and Saint-Etienne split up in a 1-1 draw at the Stade Abbé-Deschamps, in the first leg of the L1/L2 play-offs, a result giving both teams a chance to play the season next in Ligue 1.