Russia Ukraine Crisis: Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, has announced a military operation in Ukraine
Putin stated in a televised address that the move is in reaction to threats from Ukraine. He went on to say that Russia has no intention of occupying Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military operation in Ukraine on Thursday, warning that any attempt by other countries to interfere would result in “consequences they have never seen.”
He claimed that the attack was necessary to protect people in eastern Ukraine, a justification that the US had warned he would make to justify an invasion.
Putin accused the US and its allies of neglecting Russia’s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and provide Moscow with security guarantees in a televised address. Russia’s purpose, he stressed, was not to occupy Ukraine.
President of the United States, Joe Biden, has condemned Russia’s “unprovoked and unjustified” aggression on Ukraine, saying that the world will “hold Russia accountable.”
Large explosions were reported in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and other parts of Ukraine as Putin spoke.
A full-fledged Russian invasion would likely result in catastrophic bloodshed and the overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically elected government. And the conflict’s ramifications, including the sanctions imposed on Russia, might echo around the world, impacting European energy supplies, jolting global financial markets, and jeopardising the continent’s post-Cold War equilibrium.
According to him, the Russian military campaign intends to “demilitarise” Ukraine. “Immediately lay down guns and return home,” Putin said, urging Ukrainian servicemen.
Putin announced the military operation after the Kremlin stated that rebels in eastern Ukraine had requested military assistance from Russia to help them combat Ukrainian “aggression.” The announcement stoked suspicions that Moscow was using the revelation as a pretext for conflict, as the West had warned.
A short time later, Ukraine’s president dismissed Moscow’s allegations that his country is a threat to Russia, claiming that a Russian invasion would result in the deaths of tens of thousands of people.
“The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine desire peace,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared in an emotional nighttime address, addressing Russian citizens directly. “However, if we are attacked, if we are threatened with losing our nation, our freedom, our lives, or the lives of our children, we will defend ourselves.” You will see our faces, not our backs, when you assault us.”
Zelenskyy said he requested a call with Putin late Wednesday but received no response from the Kremlin.
