President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Thursday announced a military operation in Ukraine to an end to genocide and suppression in eastern Ukraine. Bombardment commenced immediately after the announcement; Russia foreign minister warned of a “full-scale invasion” if provoked for further military actions. The operations were said to have commenced at about 5.30am on Thursday in the Dunbas region of eastern Ukraine. The operations have escalated the tension in Ukraine.
President Vladimir Putin had earlier warned that the U.S. and the EU allies must not undermine that Russia is a nuclear power and cannot be intimidated by the West. Putin in a broadcast in the early hours of Thursday had warned that any military action against Russia will result in a war that has never been experienced in Europe.
Russia has deployed about 150,000 to 200,000 troops to the border territories of Ukraine. The Western allies have been rolling out sanctions against Russia but Putin was not intimidated or perturbed by the sanctions.
Putin in the Thursday broadcast declared: “I have made the decision of a military operation.”
Putin enjoined Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and go home, saying the Russian government is overseeing a “genocide” in the east of Ukraine.
Russia insists that separatists leaders in eastern Ukraine had requested for military assistant from Russia against Ukraine.
Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba noted on Thursday that the worst-case scenario is playing out in the border tension.
The Ukraine Foreign Minister, Dmytro Kuleba, accordingly declared: “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.”
President Joe Biden of US, condemned the military operations, admonished of the “consequences” for Russia and that there would be a “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, late on Wednesday night passionately appealed to Russia to eschew from siding a “major war in Europe”.
Zelensky was of the view that the people of Russia were being lied to about Ukraine. He said that he tried to call Putin for talk but there was “no answer, only silence”, raising alarm that Russia has stationed around 200,000 soldiers near Ukraine’s borders.
Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, revealed that leaders of the separatist fighters in Donetsk and Lugansk on Wednesday sent separate letters to Putin, asking him to “help them repel Ukraine’s aggression”. The two letters were published by Russian state media and were both dated February 22.
The leaders made the appeal after Putin had recognised their independence and signed friendship treaties with them, including defence deals.