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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday opened Kyiv’s first International Defence Industries Forum in a bid to attract more manufacturers to build arms in Ukraine. Meanwhile Ukrainian officials on Saturday said the country’s air force shot down 30 Iranian-made Shahed drones launched by Russia in an overnight attack on the central Vinnytsia region and the southern regions of Odesa and Mykolaiv. Follow FRANCE 24’s live blog on the war in Ukraine. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).
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11:11am: Putin marks anniversary of annexation of Ukrainian regions
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday insisted that the residents of four Ukrainian regions that Moscow illegally annexed a year ago “made their choice — to be with their Fatherland”.
In an address released in the early hours to mark the first anniversary of the annexation, Putin insisted that it was carried out “in full accordance with international norms”. He also claimed that residents of the Donetsk, Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia and Kherson regions had again expressed their desire to be part of Russia in local elections earlier this month, in which Russia’s Central Election Commission said that the country’s ruling party won the most votes.
The West has denounced both the referendum votes carried out last year and the recent ballots as a sham. The votes were held as Russian authorities attempted to tighten their grip on territories Moscow illegally annexed a year ago and still does not fully control.
10:10am: Zelensky opens forum in bid to attract arms manufacturers
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has opened Kyiv’s first International Defence Industries Forum in a bid to attract more manufacturers to build arms in Ukraine.
Kyiv has depended heavily on Western aid since Russia invaded last year, but is increasingly seeking…
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