Russia attacks Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin himself speaks of a “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine” and at the same time threatens anyone “who tries to interfere with us” with enormous consequences.
Despite protestations to the contrary, Russia launched a major attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning. Explosions were heard in the capital Kiev, the southern port city of Odessa and other cities in eastern Ukraine, AFP journalists reported. Apparently, Russian troops also attacked from Belarus. The government in Kiev imposed martial law and closed airspace to civilian aircraft. Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the “military operation” against Ukraine. In the West, the attack was sharply condemned as a breach of international law.
“I made the decision for a military operation,” Putin said in a television speech on Thursday night.
A major Russian attack on Ukraine had been feared for weeks. Explosions were heard in the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, in the Black Sea city of Odessa, in the country’s second largest city, Kharkiv, as well as in Kramatorsk and on the front line to the eastern Ukrainian separatist areas.
Vladimir Putin: Russia’s response will be ‘immediate and lead to consequences’
Previously, in his speech, Putin had repeated his allegation of an alleged “genocide” by Ukrainian troops against the Russian-speaking population in the east of the country and referred to the separatists’ request for help in eastern Ukraine from the Kremlin on Wednesday evening. “We will strive to achieve demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine,” Putin said, announcing “to bring to justice those who have committed numerous crimes responsible for the bloodshed of civilians, including Russian citizens.” . Kiev and its Western partners have repeatedly dismissed the “genocide” charge as absurd and a pretext for an attack on Ukraine.
“We have no plans to occupy Ukrainian territory, we have no plans to force anything on anyone,” Putin said. He called on the Ukrainian military to “lay down their arms.” He assured that they could then “leave the battlefield unhindered”. He did not specify the scope of the military operation, whether it would be limited to eastern Ukraine or broader. Then he turned to those “who are trying to interfere with us”: “You must know that Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead to consequences that you have never experienced.”
“I am sure that Russia’s soldiers and officers will do their duty with courage,” he said, “the security of the country is guaranteed.”
Source: Stern
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