Russia Attacks Ukraine as Putin Finally Announces Military Operation, Explosions Rock Kyiv
- The situation in Ukraine has deteriorated as Russia is said to have declared military operation in Donbas region
- Ukraine's foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of the country and is now targeting cities with weapons strikes
- Speaking on the development, President Joe Biden said Russia has chosen a premeditated war and the US and its allies will respond decisively
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KYIV - The president of Russia, Vladimir Putin, has announced military operation in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region, Al Jazeera has reported.
The newspaper added that said at least seven “loud explosions” have been heard in Ukraine’s capital, Kyiv.
Source: Getty Images
“It sounds like shell fire, but it could be air strikes,” Al Jazeera quoted its correspondent Andrew Simmons as reporting.
This is war of aggression, Ukraine's foreign minister cries out
Meanwhile, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba, has taken to Twitter to raise the alarm that Russia has launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine and is targeting cities with weapons strikes.
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He tweeted:
"Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. 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."
US President Joe Biden reacts
Meanwhile, US President Joe Biden has condemned Russia's "unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces", according to CNN.
It was gathered that Biden's statement released on Wednesday, February 23, followed explosions in Ukraine.
He said the US and its allies will "respond in a united and decisive way".
According to Biden:
"President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will 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."
Following Putin's action, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has introduced martial law. He also urged people to remain calm, CNN added.
Russia-Ukraine crisis: Nigerian government denies travel advisory in circulation
Meanwhile, the Nigerian government on Tuesday, February 22, denied urging nationals planning to travel to Belarus, Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Moldova to put it on hold.
The federal ministry of foreign affairs stated this in a tweet in reaction to a travel advisory contained in a press release dated Friday, February 18.
A viral press release claimed that all intending Nigerians planning to travel to these countries between Russia and Ukraine should pause because their embassies had stopped issuing visa with immediate effect following a “war alert”.
Anger, condemnation, disappointment as Russia moves against Ukraine
Meanwhile, following Russia's recognition of two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine - Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR), and the subsequent deployments of troops there, many countries have expressed outrage over Putin's move.
Many of these countries have come out to publicly lambast Russia while countries like China deployed a milder approach.
Lithuanian Prime Minister Ingrida Šimonytė said Putin’s move to recognize two separatist pro-Moscow regions in Ukraine puts “Kafka & Orwell to shame”.
Ukraine faces Russian invasion, US deploys 3000 troops but denies intentions of war
Briefly News previously reported that Ukraine is currently under threat of a Russian invasion, as Russia has allegedly amassed 70% of the weapons and ammunition it needs to conduct a full-scale invasion. The conflict could result in over 50 000 civilian deaths if it goes ahead.
US military intelligence predicts that Russian president Vladimir Putin is planning an attack on Ukraine soon, but the precise date and magnitude is not known at present. However, they added that it could be on the level of a World War Two battle.
According to Business Insider, US officials are hopeful that the situation can be remedied with a diplomatic solution and that conflict can be avoided altogether. However, there are currently 130 000 Russian troops just outside Ukraine's border.
Source: Briefly News
Kelly Lippke (Senior Editor) Kelly Lippke is a copy editor/proofreader who started her career at the Northern-Natal Courier with a BA in Communication Science/Psychology (Unisa, 2007). Kelly has worked for several Caxton publications, including the Highway Mail and Northglen News. Kelly’s unique editing perspective stems from an additional major in Linguistics. Kelly joined Briefly News in 2018 and she has 14 years of experience. Kelly has also passed a set of trainings by Google News Initiative. You can reach her at kelly.lippke@briefly.co.za.
Lebogang Mashego (Current Affairs HOD) Lebogang Mashego runs the Current Affairs desk. She joined the Briefly News team in 2021. She has 6 years of experience in the journalism field. Her journalism career started while studying at Rhodes University, where she worked for the Oppidan Press for 3 years. She worked as a lifestyle writer and editor at W24 and Opera News. She graduated with a BA degree majoring in Journalism and Media Studies in 2017. She's a recipient of the INMA Elevate Scholarship. Email: lebogang.mashego@briefly.co.za
