Russian troops have invaded Ukraine.
This followed the recognition of the breakaway regions of eastern Ukraine as independent by Russian president Vladimir Putin. He had also declared in a speech that Ukraine was not a real country and lacked the “traditions” of statehood.
Reports indicated that Russian tanks, trucks and troops entered Donetsk and Luhansk on Tuesday morning, February 22.
Ukraine announced that heavy shelling broke out along nearly all 250 miles of its frontline with the breakaway provinces.
Two soldiers were reportedly killed, while 12 others were injured in a major escalation in violence.
Ukraine has asked for an emergency United Nations security council meeting over Russia’s actions.
World leaders including Joe Biden and Boris Johnson had made it clear that any Russian incursion, no matter how limited, into Ukrainian territory, would be considered a fresh invasion and spark an unprecedented flurry of sanctions.
Volodymyr Zelensky, president of Ukraine, gave a 2 am address to the nation in which he vowed to resist Russia’s attempts to break up the country, declaring: ‘We are not afraid of anyone or anything. We don’t owe anyone anything. And we won’t give anything to anyone.’
Putin has vowed ‘bloodshed’ if Ukraine’s troops try to resist him and that ‘all responsibility… will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling Ukraine’. He accused the West of trying to ‘destroy’ Russia.
About 190,000 Russian troops backed by hundreds of tanks, artillery pieces, fighter jets, heavy bombers and missile batteries have encircled Ukraine.
