Russian forces invade Ukraine after Putin orders attack
A military vehicle is seen on a street on the outskirts of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine February 23, 2022. REUTERS / Alexander Ermochenko
Russian forces fired missiles at several Ukrainian cities and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday, officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in the east.
Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Gunfire rattled near the capital’s main airport, the Interfax news agency said.
“Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.
“This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.”
U.S. President Joe Biden said his prayers were with the people of Ukraine “as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces”.
Russia has been demanding an end to NATO’s eastward expansion.
Putin said he had authorised the special military operation in breakaway areas of eastern Ukraine after Russia had been left with no choice but to defend itself against what he said were threats emanating from modern Ukraine.
“Russia cannot feel safe, develop, and exist with a constant threat emanating from the territory of modern Ukraine,” Putin said. “All responsibility for bloodshed will be on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine.” read more
The full scope of the Russian military operation was not immediately clear but Putin said: “Our plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. We are not going to impose anything by force.”
Speaking as the U.N. Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York, Putin said he had ordered Russian forces to protect the people and appealed to the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms.
Ukraine’s military command centres in Kyiv and the city of Kharkiv in the northeast had been struck by missiles, a Ukrainian news site cited an official as saying, while Russian troops had landed in the southern port cities of Odessa and Mariupol, Interfax Ukraine reported.
Explosions also rocked the breakaway eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk and civilian aircraft were warned away from the region. read more
Hours earlier, pro-Russian separatists issued a plea to Moscow for help to stop alleged Ukrainian aggression – claims the United States dismissed as Russian propaganda.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Wednesday said Moscow had approved an offensive and had not replied to an invitation for talks.
Putin repeated his position that NATO expansion to include Ukraine was unacceptable and said Russia had been left with no choice but to defend itself against what he said were threats emanating from Ukraine.
‘DECISIVE WAY’
Biden said Putin had chosen a premeditated war that would bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering.
“Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring, and the United States and its Allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable,” he said.
He said he would announce further sanctions on Russia on Thursday, in addition to financial measures imposed this week.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg strongly condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack” on Ukraine and said NATO allies would meet to tackle the consequences of Moscow’s “aggressive actions”.
U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a last-minute plea to Putin to stop the war “in the name of humanity’, after the Russian leader announced the military operation.
“President Putin, in the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia,” Guterres said, speaking after the Security Council meeting.
The consequences of a war would be devastating for Ukraine and far-reaching for the global economy, he said.
Russia’s U.N. envoy said his country was not being aggressive against the Ukrainian people but against the “junta” in Kyiv.
Ukraine earlier restricted civilian flights in its airspace due to “potential hazard”, hours after a conflict zone monitor warned airlines should stop overflights over the risk of an unintended shooting down or cyber attack.
Convoys of military equipment including nine tanks were seen moving towards Donetsk earlier on Wednesday from the direction of the Russian border, a Reuters witness reported.
Shelling had intensified since Monday when Putin recognised two separatist regions as independent and ordered the deployment of what he called peacekeepers, a move the West called the start of an invasion.
The Ukrainian government on Wednesday also announced compulsory military service for all men of fighting age.
Western countries and Japan imposed sanctions on Russian banks and individuals but have held off their toughest measures until an invasion began.
The United States stepped up the pressure on Wednesday by imposing penalties on the Russian firm building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and its corporate officers.
Germany on Tuesday froze approvals for the pipeline, which has been built but was not yet in operation, amid concerns it could allow Moscow to weaponize energy supplies to Europe.
(Reuters)
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Barrel of oil will go up 50% or more over the world. Like the cow who appeared on some news channels who was going to enjoy her evening entertainment and appeared very angry with the government since she had to be in a que to to fill her car, SL population will start blaming the government for fuel shortage and further rising price of oil (and everything else as a result). They will stop working to go on strikes and march to protect the democracy.
Hi Indra Akke,
I empathize with you,
However, the dumb heads who rule rule Sri Lanka have never had any future vision and a risk management plan which will assist the nation to survive through any crises.
For example, see Singapore, Malaysia; their planning for future risks have assisted in maintaining the most balanced economies in the world.
Hi Roxie, Nice to see you are still around my love. I thought you have gone abroad to be something like the EU sales rep for Koota Dhammikayage COVID Peniya to earn millions of foreign exchange to Sri Lanka buy some oil.
Anyway, getting back to the issue, Singapore had Lee Kuan Yew as the Prime Minister of Singapore from 1959 to 1990. He ran the country with iron discipline and developed it. People obeyed and worked instead of crying for Wal-booru-nidahasa and causing chaos and stagnation like in Sri Lanka. There was lots of foreign criticism that included the Singaporeans not allowed to drop their used chewing gums on the pavement and make a mess for the rest of the citizens. Now we have a Singapore in 2022, a disciplined, developed, one of the world cleanest country, and Singaporeans have no trouble getting visa to go and work in any country doing top jobs instead of as labourers or housemaids. They have a top university (SNU) ranked No.1 in the world too. Students in Singapore study full-time, instead of going on strike and thinking ragging the new comers is one of the main purpose of them being in the university. Rather than getting stuck in the crappy Non-aligned wet-dream, in the 1990 they allowed the Americans to use of their naval base providing logistic support for the US 7th Fleet in its operations in the Pacific and Southeast Asia. Which in turn, gives them security as well as other spin offs. To add the insult to the injury, I must point out both Singapore and Sri Lanka were at the same stage of development at one stage.
Mahathir Mohamad, in Malaysia was the prime minister from 1981 to October 2003 and later from May 2018 to March 2020 for a cumulative total of 24 years. He too came under international criticism, but the Malays were more intelligent than adopting the white elephant ‘democracy’ before having a well founded strong economy. They obeyed and moved in one direction as a nation, instead of left to right each 5 years and now living in a developed country.
The problem with SL is its culture, begging to live on not being seeing as what it is, lack of national pride and finding excuses for failure and blaming somebody else. Sri lankans think when there is an international cricket tournament, adding numerous video clips on the YouTube naming themselves as LIONS and the team returning home empty-handed is enough of national pride. Sri lanka does not have a future.
I remember on a TV programme I watched in another country, during the last 10 years, a British journalist was interviewing Chinese coming to pay homage to a huge statue of Mao Tse Tung somewhere in China. The journalist asked one Chinese willing to talk with him “Do you think there is any point in what he did, is Mao relevant today? You are a market economy now. In some ways yours is a more capitalist country now than most of the capitalist countries”. The Chinese replied ” Yes actually he did. He cleared the ground of old rubbish and made it possible for the new things to grow. Without him and the cultural revolution, we would never have been here”. That is exactly what SL need. It need to clear the society of baseless religious shackles, obsolete ideas and somebody to impose discipline and make the population work some 10-15 years and the give the middle finger to the so called international community and people like Pakaya Hotti Sarawanamuttu who for the moon in a penniless country rampant with corruption, lawlessness and crimes due to poverty and firmly align the country with something like China. But until something like Mao’s revolution or Cultural revolution happens and wipe out the failed political and religious leaders of Sri lanka, nothing will happen but more begging from the international community to buy food and oil and one half of the country stop working marching on the road against the government in power asking to provide free education, health and a job for life!!
….. people like Pa*aya Hotti Sarawanamuttu who cry for the moon in a penniless country rampant with corruption ….
This reminds me of the invasion of the Tamil Homelands in May 2009 executed by the then Defense Secretary and the decorated Field Marshall.
Now that reminds me the killing of 70 odd unarmed monks, slaughter of unarmed civilians in two farms including children and infants, slaughter of hundreds of policemen who put down arms and surrendered too.