Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy addresses the nation after a meeting of the Security and Defense Council after Russia's decision to formally recognize two Moscow-backed regions of eastern Ukraine as independent, in Kyiv, Ukraine, February 22, 2022. (Reuters)Russia Ukraine Crisis Live: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a statement on Tuesday accused Russia of wrecking peace efforts and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his country. Zelenskiy has said that while Ukraine is committed to a “peaceful and diplomatic path”, it won’t give up its land. “…we are on our own land, we are not afraid of anything and anybody, we owe nothing to no one, and we will give nothing to no one,” the Ukrainian President said.
His statement came after President Vladimir PutinMonday signed a decree recognising two Russian separatist-held regions — Donetsk and Luhansk — in Ukraine as independent. With this action, Putin “legalised” his troops in the region known as Donbass. The development prompted US President Joe Biden signed an executive order blocking trade and investment in the regions. The White House, which described the Russian actions as a blatant violation of Moscow’s international commitments, said that economic sanctions are in the pipeline.
India, meanwhile, has called for restraint on all sides at an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council. “The escalation of tension along the border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation is a matter of deep concern. These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region,” India’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said. “The immediate priority is de-escalation of tensions taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond,” he said.
A Ukrainian service member touches a dog on the front line near the city of Novoluhanske in the Donetsk region, Ukraine. (Reuters)
After Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree recognising two Russian-backed breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine as independent entities, pro-Russian activists celebrated in the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk, Ukraine.
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People from Donetsk, the territory controlled by a pro-Russia separatist government in eastern Ukraine, gather to fill in documents after evacuating in the Rostov-on-Don region, near the border with Ukraine, Russia, Sunday, Feb. 20, 2022. (AP Photo)
As Russia-Ukraine tensions escalate, Ukrainian civilians are taking part in military drills to prepare for possible war, handling automatic rifles or advancing in formation. In pic, members of National Guard of Ukraine look out of the window as they ride in a bus through the city of Kyiv, Monday, Feb. 14, 2022. (AP Photo)
A Ukrainian serviceman is reflected in a mirror as he smokes a cigarette on a position at the line of separation between Ukraine-held territory and rebel-held territory near Zolote, Ukraine, Saturday, Feb. 19, 2022. (AP Photo)
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The first of three evacuation flights to be operated under the flight number — AI1947 — departed from Delhi Tuesday. Two more flights are planned later this week on Thursday and Saturday. The flight, which is being operated on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner with 256 seats, is expected to reach the Boryspil airport in Kyiv later on Tuesday evening and evacuate Indian citizens from there.
On Sunday, India asked the family members of Embassy officials in Ukraine — as well as students and citizens whose stay is not vital — to leave the eastern European nation amid its rising tensions with Russia. The directions to students and other nationals came from the Indian Embassy in Kyiy. It was its second advisory in a week, with a stronger tone than the previous one — citing “high levels” of tensions and uncertainties. Read more
Britain vowed to impose sanctions on Russia, which it warned could invade Ukraine imminently, condemning President Vladimir Putin's recognition of two breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as a breach of international law.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson offered defensive support in a call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy, saying while a diplomatic solution should be pursued until the last possible second, the situation was deteriorating.
"The Prime Minister told President Zelenskiy that he believed an invasion was a real possibility in the coming hours and days," Johnson's office said in a statement following a call between the leaders.
Johnson will agree the package of immediate sanctions against Russia at an 0630 GMT (12 pm IST) meeting of the government's crisis response committee (COBR) on Tuesday, a Downing Street spokesperson said. (AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to "keep the peace" to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in a statement on Tuesday accused Russia of wrecking peace efforts and violating the sovereignty and territorial integrity of his country.
Zelenskiy has said that while Ukraine is committed to a “peaceful and diplomatic path”, it won’t give up its land. “…we are on our own land, we are not afraid of anything and anybody, we owe nothing to no one, and we will give nothing to no one,” the Ukrainian President said.
Following an acceleration in the Russia-Ukraine crisis on Monday with Putin's speech, China warned its citizens and enterprises in the Ukraine "to pay attention to the safety notices issued locally and do not go to unstable areas," Reuters reported.
"At present, the situation in eastern Ukraine has undergone major changes,'" the Chinese embassy said in a statement.
What are the breakaway regions?
Russian-backed separatists in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions – collectively known as the Donbass – broke away from Ukrainian government control in 2014 and proclaimed themselves independent “people’s republics”, until now unrecognised. Since then, Ukraine says about 15,000 people have been killed in fighting.
What does Russian recognition mean?
For the first time, Russia is saying it does not regard the Donbass as part of Ukraine. That could pave the way for Moscow to send military forces into the separatist regions openly, using the argument that it is intervening as an ally to protect them against Ukraine. Read more
A special Air India flight (AI-1946) has departed from Delhi to bring back Indians from Ukraine, news agency ANI reported. It will fly back Indian citizens tonight from the Boryspil airport in Kyiv. The airline has said that it will be operating three flights on February 22, 24 and 26 to Ukraine.
Japan's Prime Minister Fumio Kishida criticised Russia for violating Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity and said his country will discuss possible "severe actions" including sanctions with the international community.
Kishida was responding to Russian President Vladimir Putin's signing a decree recognising the independence of two separatist regions in eastern Ukraine.
"Those actions are unacceptable, and we express our strong condemnation," Kishida told reporters Tuesday. "Japan is watching the development with grave concern," he said. (AP)
US Secretary Antony Blinken on Tuesday tweeted that he had spoken to People's Republic of China, underscoring the need to preserve Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
In a major escalation, prompting fear of war in the West, Russian President Vladimir Putin Monday recognised two breakaway regions of Ukraine as independent.
The deployment of what Russia called a peacekeeping operation in eastern Ukraine is "nonsense" and Moscow's recognition of the breakaway regions as independent is part of its pretext for war, the United States told the UN Security Council on Monday.
At an emergency meeting, US Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, warned that consequences of Russia's actions "will be dire across Ukraine, across Europe, and across the globe."
"President Putin has torn the Minsk Agreement to shreds. We have been clear that we do not believe he will stop at that," she was quoted as saying by Reuters.
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the deployment of troops to "keep the peace" to two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after recognising them as independent on Monday, Reuters reported.
According to the news agency, about five tanks were seen in a column on the edge of Donetsk and two more in another part of town, however, no insignia were visible on the vehicles.
In a speech recognising Donetsk and Luhansk as independent regions, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, "As for those who captured and are holding on to power in Kyiv...We demand that they immediately cease military action."
"If not, the complete responsibility for the possibility of a continuation of bloodshed will be fully and wholly on the conscience of the regime ruling the territory of Ukraine," he added. Ukraine on its part has denied allegations that it is preparing an offensive against the separatist territories.
President Vladimir Putin of Russia on Monday delivered an emotional and aggrieved address laying claim to all of Ukraine as a country “created by Russia,” recognising the independence of two Russian-backed territories in eastern Ukraine and threatening the government of Ukraine that the bloodshed could continue.
Immediately after the speech, state television showed Putin at the Kremlin signing decrees recognising the so-called Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics, which were created after Russia fomented a separatist war in eastern Ukraine in 2014. Putin also signed “friendship and mutual assistance” treaties, raising the possibility that Russia could move some of the forces it has built up around Ukraine’s borders into those territories.
Putin’s speech laid out such a broad case against Ukraine — describing its pro-Western government as a dire threat to Russia and to Russians — that he appeared to be laying the groundwork to take action beyond simply recognising two small breakaway republics. Read the full NYT report here
At an emergency UNSC meeting on the situation in Ukraine Monday night, India's Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador T S Tirumurti said, "The escalation of tension along the border of Ukraine with the Russian Federation is a matter of deep concern. These developments have the potential to undermine peace and security of the region."
Calling for restraint on all sides, Tirumurti said, "The immediate priority is de-escalation of tensions taking into account the legitimate security interests of all countries and aimed towards securing long term peace and stability in the region and beyond."
In a joint statement, House Foreign Affairs Committee Lead Republican Michael McCaul and House Armed Services Committee Lead Republican Mike Rogers demanded that the US must immediately impose real costs for this blatant act of aggression and flagrant violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"Unfortunately, the sanctions previewed by the White House thus far are the definition of impotence. With reports that Putin is now sending troops into the regions of Donetsk and Luhansk under the guise of ‘peacekeepers,’ now is not the time for symbolic pinpricks that will serve only to embolden Putin and endanger our friends in Ukraine," they said. (PTI)
US President Joe Biden on Monday signed an executive order blocking trade and investment in parts of Ukraine that have been recognised as independent by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. The White House, which described the Russian actions as blatant violation of Moscow’s international commitments, said that economic sanctions are in the pipeline.
The Executive Order signed by Biden prohibits new investment, trade and financing by US persons to, from, or in the “so-called DNR and LNR regions” of Ukraine, she said. The executive order also provides authority to impose sanctions on any person determined to operate in those areas of Ukraine. (PTI)
US authorities have warned Russia not to invade Ukraine and urged both countries to return to a set of agreements designed to end a separatist war by Russian speakers in eastern Ukraine. What are the details of the agreements, which were signed in Minsk in 2014 and 2015. Read explainer here
Moscow has cultivated close ties with pro-Russian separatists controlling swathes of the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine but denies being a party to their nearly eight-year war with Ukrainian government forces.
President Vladimir Putin told his Security Council on Monday that Russia should consider recognising the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic in Donbass as independent. read more Putin said a decision would be made on Monday but stopped short of saying what it would be.
But how did separatist-held regions of eastern Ukraine grow closer to Russia? Read explainer here