Months of escalating tensions in Eastern Europe have reached a crescendo as Russia commenced with its invasion of Ukraine, realising weeks of the West’s repeated warnings that an invasion was imminent.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, February 27, ordered his country’s nuclear forces to be put on high alert in a dramatic escalation of events.
Foreign media reported that the Russian president gave the order to the country’s deterrence forces, a term used for reference to units which include nuclear arms, in response to ‘aggressive statements by leading NATO powers’.
The Russian president said on state television that western countries were not only taking ‘unfriendly measures’ against Russia in the economic domain, but top officials of leading NATO countries were also making aggressive statements against Russia.
The development was followed by news of the office of Ukraine’s president confirming that a Ukrainian delegation would meet with Russian officials at an ‘unspecified location’ on the Ukraine-Belarus border.
Earlier on Sunday, Russia had announced that a delegation had gone to Belarus and was awaiting talks. Ukrainian officials at that time had rejected the idea, stating that talks should place at a location other than Belarus, which had allowed a large number of Russian troops on its territory for exercises, the same troops that later invaded Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Russian forces on Sunday entered Ukraine’s second largest city of Kharkiv, with fierce fighting taking place between the militaries of Ukraine and Russia on the city streets.
According to foreign media reports, Kharkiv regional administration’s head stated that Ukrainian troops were engaging Russians inside the city.
The Russian military conducted intense shelling of the city late Saturday which continued on Sunday morning.
Sources inside Kharkiv revealed to foreign media that Russian forces were entering in small groups and were being resisted fiercely by the Ukrainian military and territorial defence units [military reserves].
Moreover, Russia has claimed that its military had encircled Ukraine’s southern city of Kherson and the south-eastern city of Berdyansk.
A report in Al Jazeera said that the Russians wanted to use Kharkiv as a rear base from where they intended to move south-west towards the Ukrainian city of Dnipro.
Meanwhile, Russian state media outlet Russia Today early Sunday cited the Russian Defence Ministry as saying that Russian and Ukrainian troops had struck a deal for the joint security and safety of reactors at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.
According to the latest, Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Liashko has said that 198 people have died, including three children in Ukraine. Moreover, 1,115 were injured, including 33 children since the Russian offensive began on Thursday. A US official has also said that as of morning eastern time, “more than 250” missiles descended upon Ukraine.
February 26, 2022
As part of fortifying the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation’s (NATO’s) forces, UK has reportedly sent Royal Navy Ships, British Army troops and Royal Air Force fighters to Eastern Europe. UK Defence Secretary Ben Wallace has said that the forces would be a “credible deterrent to stop Russian aggression threatening the territorial sovereignty of member states”.
US President Joe Biden has also authorised military assistance worth $350 million for Ukraine. The assistance would include “anti-armor and anti-aircraft systems, small arms and various caliber munitions, body armor, and related equipment in support of Ukraine’s front-line defenders facing down Russia’s unprovoked attack”.
Meanwhile, Russia has denied that its missile attacked a residential building in Kyiv, despite media outlets claiming evidence otherwise. The Russian Defense Ministry has said that it was a failed Ukrainian anti-aircraft projective that landed on the apartment building. According to CNN, a residential building was hit early on Saturday in the capital, with images and videos flooding social media that depicted the damage.
As the battle for Kyiv continues, about 850,000 people have been internally displaced in Ukraine, according to the United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees Kelly Clements. Another 120,000 have fled the battleground in Ukraine. 100,000 have already entered Poland.
It has been reported that the Kremlin announced on Saturday that Russia had ordered a halt on fighting on Friday to wait for negotiations but continued after Kyiv denied negotiating in talks. A Ukrainian presidential adviser, however, has denied Russia’s claim that it refused to engage.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Vlodomyr Zelenskyy posted a video message early Saturday, called on Ukrainians to stand tall in the wake of invasion. He also said that foreigners wanting to fight for Ukraine would be given arms to do so.
Mayor of Kyiv Vitali Klitschko has extended a curfew in Ukraine, which would be in effect till Monday on 8:00am.
In another development early morning, Klitschko rejected reports that Russian soldiers had entered the capital. In a video message shared on social media, the mayor said that there were no Russian soldiers in Kyiv as of this morning adding that distributing weapons to the public had proved helpful.
February 25, 2022
The battle for Ukrainian capital of Kyiv continued on Friday with residents taking shelter as blasts are being reported throughout the night. Media has reported that a Ukrainian official has claimed the city was being hit with missiles.
NATO has activated its Response Force as a defensive move in response to the Russian invasion into Ukraine. The alliance’s Supreme Allied Commander General Tod Wolters activated the multinational force that consists of land, air, sea and special forces from the allied countries in support of NATO. He clarified that the troops have not been deployed yet and are standby.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov meanwhile elaborated on the proposal for talks with Ukraine in Belarus. Peskov has said that Ukraine has responded with a proposal to meet in Warsaw instead but the contact dropped before further details could be discussed. Earlier during the day, Peskov said that Russia was poised to send a delegation to Minsk, Belarus to hold talks with Kyiv.
It was reported previously that a Ukrainian presidential adviser said that the Ukrainian government was “considering the proposal” to hold talks in Minsk but in a separate video message that came through on Friday at noon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for direct calls with his Russian counterpart.
Further, according to Reuters and CNN, the Russian military has said that it captured Hostomel airfield (Antonov Airport in Hostomel District) just outside Kyiv, which has been deemed an important vantage point for Russian’s to be able to capture Ukraine. Both media outlets, however, noted that this information could not be independently verified, with a CNN correspondent on ground stating that he did see Russian airborne troops taking positions in the field.
Around the same time, President Zelenskyy has put out a video message to state that he was still in Kyiv, amid reports that he had allegedly left the capital of Ukraine as Russia advances through it.
Earlier the same day Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov had said that Russia was ready to engage in talks with Ukraine provided the latter surrendered. In a press conference Lavrov said that Russian President Vladimir Putin had “openly declared: demilitarisation and de-Nazification” of Ukraine as the reason behind the military operation.
Meanwhile, reports about rising radiation levels also emerged from the exclusion zone of the Chernobyl nuclear plant, which was early captured by the Russian military. According to France 24, Ukrainian authorities have cautioned that the Russian forces taking over the plant could have “terrible consequences”.
The same day, President Putin called for Ukraine to surrender and in addressing the Ukrainian military, asked them to help overthrow the Ukrainian government by taking “power into [their] own hands”.
Earlier on Friday, Russian forces reportedly advanced into the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv and were engaged in combat with the Ukrainian military at Obolon in the north of the capital.
Obolon is nine kilometers from the parliament and the centre of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Defence Ministry told locals to fight enemy troops through the use of Molotov cocktails.
Meanwhile, Kyiv is also under assault from the air, and residents are resorting to taking shelter in underground stations.
President Zelenskyy on Friday vowed to remain in the capital as his country’s military fought advancing Russian troops in the north of Kyiv.
The Ukrainian president has said that him and his family had been marked as the primary and secondary targets by the Russians.
According to the latest foreign media reports, the Russian military has made incursions into Ukrainian territory from the north, east and south.
Around 100,000 people have fled as strikes and explosions were witnessed in various cities of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian president has said that 137 people were killed on the first day of the invasion.
Foreign media reported that Russian paratroopers had landed in the northern outskirts of Kyiv early Friday, while fighting for the strategic Antonov Airport in Kyiv’s north is ongoing.
February 24, 2022
Russia on Thursday, February 24, launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with its land forces attacking Ukraine’s northern and western borders and launching an amphibious assault on its southern coast.
According to latest reports, the Chernobyl nuclear plant has been captured in Ukraine. AFP reported that the Ukrainian presidency announced that the plant has been captured by the Russian military.
As per the Times of Israel, the Russian troops had also captured the Antonov airport just outside Kyiv. Citing a CNN correspondent on the ground, the media outlet said that Russian airborne forces had taken over the airport. However, Ukrainian military had officially stated later that Antonov Airport had been recaptured and fighting was underway there.
Meanwhile, Russia’s Defense Ministry also reportedly confirmed that its military had destroyed 74 Ukrainian military facilities, including 11 air bases.
Earlier, the Russian military was trying to seize the Chernobyl nuclear plant in Ukraine. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky tweeted on Thursday that, “Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the Chernobyl [Nuclear Power Plant]. Our defenders are sacrificing their lives so that the tragedy of 1986 will not be repeated.” The Ukrainian National Guard was reportedly working to defend the power plant.
Around the same time, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned that a Russian attack could yield another devastating “ecological disaster”.
Previously during the day, the media also reported that Russian strikes involving use of long-range missiles continued to target airports and military infrastructure across Ukraine. Russian troops have launched assaults towards Kyiv from Ukraine’s northern border, Kharkiv from the western border, and northwards from the Crimean Peninsula.
A large air assault is currently underway just north of Ukrainian capital, Kyiv.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has claimed that Russia had launched 30 cruise missiles.
Meanwhile, condemnations against the invasion continue to pour in from around the world, with the United States, United Kingdom, European Commission promising the ‘harshest of sanctions’.
The president of Belarus has proposed holding talks between Russian and Ukraine in Minsk. Lithuania has declared a state of emergency and has sent military to defend its border.
During the United Nations Security Council meeting today, Ukrainian Ambassador to the United Nations Sergiy Kyslytsya stated to Russia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Vasily Nebenzya that there was no purgatory for war criminals, and that they would go straight to hell.
Foreign media has reported that Russian missile strikes across the country targeted Kyiv and the eastern border city of Kharkiv.
Ukrainian military has also stated that it was engaging Russian fighter jets on the country’s eastern border, specifically in the Luhansk region.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has imposed a martial law on the country, saying “Ukraine will fight back”. In a national address, he said that Russia conducted strikes on Ukraine’s military infrastructure, and blasts could be heard in many cities of Ukraine.
The Russian Defence Ministry has stated that it was targeting Ukraine’s air defences and military infrastructure and not Ukrainian cities.
US President Biden has condemned the attack and termed it “unprovoked and unjustified”, vowing that the world would hold Russia accountable. The US president has also announced a special operation in the Ukrainian region of Donbas.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has urged Putin to stop troops from attacking Ukraine.
Early morning on Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin had announced that he had made the decision of a military operation against Ukraine. The Russian president stated that he did not intend to occupy Ukraine but Russia’s goal was to defend the people who had fallen victim to the “abuse and genocide” of Kyiv.
The Russian president had issued a warning to other countries that any attempts to interfere with Russia’s actions against Ukraine would result in consequences they had never seen.
Lead-up to the Russian invasion of Ukraine
On Monday, February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin had ordered that soldiers be deployed to the two pro-Russian separatist territories in Ukraine for ‘peacekeeping’ purposes after he recognized them as independent.
The move to recognize pro-Russian separatist territories in Ukraine had been met with sanctions from western countries, with the United States and UK at the forefront. In response, Russia had announced on February 23 that it would give a cutthroat response to the US levelling sanctions against it in the wake of developments in Eastern Europe.
The order to send troops to pro-Russian separatist territories in Ukraine came after Putin, in the presence of Donetsk People’s Republic’s (DPR’s) and Luhansk People’s Republic’s (LPR) leaders, signed a decree that recognised the independence of the pro-Russian separatist territories in the Ukrainian provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk.
The move to recognize came amid reports of fighting intensifying along the boundary between Ukrainian controlled regions and the separatist territories of LPR and DPR in Donetsk and Luhansk.
Earlier on February 20, Russia had extended military drills near Ukraine’s northern borders amid mounting fears that two days of sustained shelling between soldiers and Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine could spark an invasion.
The expansion of drills had western leaders heeding warnings that Russia was posturing itself to attack Ukraine.
The amassing of troops and heavy machinery on three sides of Ukraine had the US and several European nations cautioning that Russia would face heavy sanctions if it attempted to storm into its neighbouring country that has long enjoyed the west’s support.
The expanding drills came despite Russia’s announcement on February 15 that it would withdraw some of its forces from the Ukrainian border. International powers, however, reacted reservedly to the announcement as there was no independent confirmation of the withdrawal.
The crisis gained much traction in the west, with UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson having said on Monday that intelligence reports suggested that President Putin had intended to launch an invasion of Ukraine and that his plan was already in motion.
On February 16, US President Joe Biden also cautioned that there was a “very high” risk that Russia would follow through with invading Ukraine in the coming days.
Two days before President Biden’s warning, UK’s Armed Forces Minister James Heappey said that a Russian invasion of Ukraine was “very imminent” and that the continent was closer to war than any point in history in the past 70 years. Simultaneously, according to American media, the US had intelligence that President Putin told his commanders to “be ready to go” on February 16.
Before Western leaders started heeding warnings with more urgency, on February 10, Russia and Belarus had initiated joint military drills, which were set to continue till February 20, in a move that Ukraine called an attempt to exert “psychological pressure”.
On its part, Ukraine had announced its own military exercises that would mirror those being carried out by Russia and Belarus. Military officials had maintained secrecy regarding the drills in an apparent fear of worsening tensions, but Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksy had stated that Ukraine had “enough forces to honorably defend the country”.
In addition to President Zelensky’s resolve, Ukrainian citizens had also been taking part in military training. They did so to be ready and provide possible in-land support to the armed forces if Russia attacked.
Eastern Ukraine has been the hotbed of intermittent conflict since 2014 after the revolution in Kyiv sent ripples of unrest in two provinces of the Donbas region. Parts of the provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk since then have been controlled by armed, pro-Russia separatists.
The Minsk Agreement, a peace treaty between Russia and Ukraine, was signed in 2014, which was aimed at putting an end to the conflict between the Ukrainian army and separatists.
Tensions came to a head in recent months since November after Ukraine signalled an intention to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), which had Russia collecting thousands of troops near its Ukrainian border. Russia had demanded that Ukraine not be allowed membership in NATO and had also called for the diminishing of NATO forces in Eastern Europe.
Russia’s advances in recent weeks have been termed by the west and Ukraine itself as a blatant violation of the Minsk Agreement.
