Russian president announces military operation in Ukraine
He said the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine – a claim the U.S. had predicted he would falsely make to justify an invasion.
MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced a military operation in Ukraine and warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.”
He said the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine – a claim the U.S. had predicted he would falsely make to justify an invasion.
In a televised address, Putin accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees. He said Russia’s goal was not to occupy Ukraine, Associated Press reported.
He added that Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy Ukraine. Putin said the responsibility for the bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime,” reported Reuters.
U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the “unprovoked and unjustified” attack on Ukraine and said the world will “hold Russia accountable.”
As Putin spoke, big explosions were heard in Kyiv, Kharkiv and other areas of Ukraine.
A full-blown Russian invasion could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government.
And the consequences of the conflict and resulting sanctions levied on Russia could reverberate throughout the world, affecting energy supplies in Europe, jolting global financial markets and threatening the post-Cold War balance on the continent.
Permission for firearms
Ukraine’s parliament on Wednesday voted to approve in the first reading a draft law which gives permission to Ukrainians to carry firearms and act in self-defence.
“The adoption of this law is fully in the interests of the state and society,” the authors of the draft law said in a note, adding that the law was needed due to “existing threats and dangers for the citizens of Ukraine”, according to Reuters.
One of Europe’s worst security crises in decades was unfolding after Russian President Vladimir Putin recognised two areas of eastern Ukraine as independent and ordered troops to be deployed to eastern Ukraine.
EU blacklists Russian govt officials
The European Union introduced personal sanctions in connection with Russia’s recognition of Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics against almost 400 representatives of Russian political, defense and economic establishment, journalists and public figures. Such statement is contained in the decision posted in the EU Journal, according to TASS news agency.
The list of sanctions includes in particular Russian Deputy Prime Ministers Marat Khusnullin and Dmitry Grigorenko, Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, Minister of Economic Development Maxim Oreshnikov, head of the Russian President’s administration Anton Vaino, official spokesperson of the Russian Foreign Ministry Maria Zakharova and members of the State Duma that voted in support for independence of republics.
The full list of individuals and entities under sanctions now comprise 555 persons and 52 organizations. All of them are banned from entering the European Union and access to its banking system.
UNSC emergency session
Meanwhile, an emergency session of UN Security Council on the Ukraine crisis. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has appealed to Vladimir Putin to give peace a chance and halt military operation.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has made a personal appeal to Putin to stop his troops from entering Ukraine at an emergency Security Council meeting.
“President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine, give peace a chance, too many people have already died.”
Ukraine’s top security official Oleksiy Danilov said on Wednesday that Ukraine would impose a state of emergency on all of its territory, apart from the Donetsk and Luhansk regions where it has been in place since 2014.
He said that the emergency state would last 30 days and could be extended for another 30 days, Reuters reported.
Pro-Russian separatists have controlled parts of Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014. Russia recognised them as independent states and approved use of its troops abroad this week.
