Russian forces invade Ukraine with strikes on major cities

[Huat Zai]

 

MOSCOW: Russian forces fired missiles at several cities in Ukraine and landed troops on its south coast on Thursday (Feb 24), officials and media said, after President Vladimir Putin authorised what he called a special military operation in the east.

Shortly after Putin spoke in a televised address on Russian state TV, explosions could be heard in the pre-dawn quiet of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv.

Gunfire rattled near the capital's main airport, the Interfax news agency said, and sirens were heard over the city.

"Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Peaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes," Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Twitter.

"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, reacting to an invasion the United States had been predicting for weeks, said his prayers were with the people of Ukraine "as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces".

Russia has demanded an end to NATO's eastward expansion and Putin repeated his position that Ukrainian membership of the US-led Atlantic military alliance was unacceptable.

He said he had authorised military action after Russia had been left with no choice but to defend itself against what he said were threats emanating from modern Ukraine, a democratic state of 44 million people.

"Russia cannot feel safe, develop, and exist with a constant threat emanating from the territory of modern Ukraine," Putin said. "All responsibility for bloodshed will be on the conscience of the ruling regime in Ukraine."

The full scope of the Russian military operation was not immediately clear but Putin said: "Our plans do not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories. We are not going to impose anything by force."

 

 

Speaking as the UN Security Council held an emergency meeting in New York, Putin said he had ordered Russian forces to protect the people and appealed to the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had carried out missile strikes on Ukrainian infrastructure and border guards, and that explosions had been heard in many cities.

He said that martial law had been declared and that he had spoken by telephone to Biden. Reservists were called up on Wednesday.

Media reported that military command centres in Kyiv and the city of Kharkiv in the northeast had been struck by missiles while Russian troops had landed in the southern port cities of Odessa and Mariupol.

A Reuters witness later heard three loud blasts in Mariupol.

Russian-backed separatists said they had launched an offensive on the Ukrainian-controlled town of Shchastia in the east, Russia's Interfax news agency said, and explosions also rocked the breakaway eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk.

Hours earlier, the separatists issued a plea to Moscow for help to stop alleged Ukrainian aggression - claims the United States dismissed as Russian propaganda.

Global stocks and US bond yields dived, while the dollar and gold rocketed higher after Putin's address. Brent oil surged past US$100 a barrel for the first time since 2014.

 

 

'DECISIVE WAY'

Biden said Putin had chosen a premeditated war that would 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," he said.

While he has ruled out putting US troops on the ground in Ukraine, he said he would announce further sanctions against Russia on Thursday, in addition to financial measures imposed this week.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg strongly condemned Russia's "reckless and unprovoked attack" on Ukraine and said NATO allies would meet to tackle the consequences of Moscow's "aggressive actions".

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres made a last-minute plea to Putin to stop the war "in the name of humanity", after the Russian leader announced the military operation.

"President Putin, in the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia," Guterres said, speaking after the Security Council meeting.

The consequences of a war would be devastating for Ukraine and far-reaching for the global economy, he said.

Russia's UN envoy said his country was not being aggressive against the Ukrainian people but against the "junta" in Kyiv.

 

Ukraine earlier restricted civilian flights in its airspace hours after a conflict zone monitor warned airlines should stop overflights over the risk of an unintended shooting down or cyber attack.

Shelling had intensified since Monday when Putin recognised two separatist regions as independent and ordered the deployment of what he called peacekeepers, a move the West called the start of an invasion.

In response to Putin's Monday announcement, Western countries and Japan imposed sanctions on Russian banks and individuals but have held off their toughest measures until an invasion began.

The United States stepped up the pressure on Wednesday by imposing penalties on the Russian firm building the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline and its corporate officers.

Germany on Tuesday froze approvals for the pipeline, which has been built but was not in operation, amid concern it could allow Moscow to weaponise energy supplies to Europe.

 

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/russian-forces-invade-ukraine-strikes-major-cities-2516296

[socrates469bc]

if ukraine still have its soviet-era nuclear weapons, then different story liao.

 

this is what happen when u have a weak us president in office.

 

so safest is ownself protect ownself.

 

wahahahahhahahha

 

[XianGe]

Finally ww4

[socrates469bc]

On 2/25/2022 at 4:35 PM, XianGe said:

Finally ww4

 

ww4 no but worldwide stagflation for the next 3 yrs is confirmed.

 

song bo, smelly peasants????????

 

wahahahahahhahahahahahha

 

[The_King]

On 2/25/2022 at 4:35 PM, XianGe said:

Finally ww4

 

3 hours ago, socrates469bc said:

 

ww4 no but worldwide stagflation for the next 3 yrs is confirmed.

 

song bo, smelly peasants????????

 

wahahahahahhahahahahahha

 

 

 

this song for all

 

 

Economic winter 
Whatcha want, watcha want
Whatcha gonna do
When Economic winter come for you
Tell me
Whatcha wanna do, whatcha gonna dooo
Yeaheah

Economic winter , Economic winter 
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you

Economic winter , Economic winter 
Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do
When they come for you

When you were  asset inflation
And you had  monetary excesses 
You go to stagflation/stagnation
And learn the golden rule
So why are you
Acting like a kondratiev wave
If you get  monetary excesses 
You must get stagflation/stagnation

 

 

[The_King]

 

[The_King]

'Need a tow back to Russia?' Ukrainians taunt soldiers after their tank runs out of fuel on its way to Kyiv

 

 

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10554929/Video-claims-Ukrainians-mocking-Russian-tank-stuck-without-fuel-road-Kyiv.html

[Huat Zai]

Multiple fronts is only an advantage if you have multiple allies in a war, supplies, medical aid, communication, etc, the wider you spread them, the more difficult it is to organize. Wonder what the generals were thinking when they planned this.

[Huat Zai]

Ukrainian soldier 'blows himself up' to destroy bridge and stop Russian invasion forces

 

A Ukrainian soldier blew himself up in order to destroy a bridge and prevent Russian forces from storming in from Crimea, it has been reported.

Vitaliy Skakun Volodymyrovych died while attempting to fend off a row of Russian tanks at the Henichesk bridge, in the Kherson region.

Ukraine ’s armed forces confirmed the death of the trooper near the bridge - which connects Russian-occupied Crimea with mainland Ukraine - after he had carried out the dangerous task of mining it with explosives.

An Armed Forces official said Mr Volodymyrovych had decided to blow up the bridge after volunteering to place the explosives on it.

"The bridge was mined, but he didn’t manage to get away from there," they explained.

 

 

"According to his brothers in arms, Vitaliy got in touch [with them] and said he was going to blow up the bridge. Immediately after an explosion rang out."

Mr Volodymyrovych, a military engineer, was now being hailed by his fellow soldiers for "significantly slowing down the advancement of the enemy".

 

His move had allowed Ukrainian military units to regroup and redeploy its defences.

And commanders were now working to award him with posthumous honours for his actions.

News of the soldier’s death comes as a story of defiance in the face of terror, as the Kremlin's forces move in on Ukrainian capital Kyiv.

Ukrainian citizens are reportedly handed guns and told to make Molotov cocktails in an attempt to push back against Putin’s army.

 

 

Moscow troops have captured the strategic Hostomel airport, near the capital, but have yet to take control of Kyiv - despite air strikes over the city in the early hours of this morning.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is in hiding and says he fears for his life, with two sources claiming he told EU leaders in a video call last night: "This might be the last time you see me alive".

At least 137 Ukrainians are believed to have been killed across the country at the hands of Putin's forces after the assault began in the early hours of Thursday.

And Russian forces have lost about 2,800 servicemen and 80 tanks during their assault on Ukraine, Deputy Defence Minister Hanna Malyar said this afternoon.

The Ministry of Defence has said that Russia has so far made limited progress.

 

The MOD said that Ukraine retains control of key cities as Vladmir Putin's troops descend on the capital city Kyiv.

In an update this afternoon it said there was no sign that air raids had been carried out in Lviv, despite sirens sounding through the city.

People have been pictured fleeing for their lives as missiles continue to hit Ukraine.

A woman is seen with two children carrying bags as they walk down a winding street to leave Ukraine after crossing the Slovak-Ukrainian border in Ubla, eastern Slovakia.

Another image shows a man clutching a child as they wait to board an evacuation train from Kyiv to Lviv at Kyiv central train station.

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/ukrainian-soldier-blows-himself-up-26332580

[Huat Zai]

 

[Huat Zai]

 

Never going to happen here...

[XianGe]

48 minutes ago, Huat Zai said:

 

Never going to happen here...

Respect him... 

[socrates469bc]

5 hours ago, Huat Zai said:

Multiple fronts is only an advantage if you have multiple allies in a war, supplies, medical aid, communication, etc, the wider you spread them, the more difficult it is to organize. Wonder what the generals were thinking when they planned this.

 

u must understand the russian mindset.

 

they believe in using overwhelming brute forces to subjugate the enemy in attack and wearing down enemy using the vast russian hinterland in defence.

 

wahahahahahahahahaha

[socrates469bc]

1 hour ago, Huat Zai said:

 

Never going to happen here...

 

14 minutes ago, XianGe said:

Respect him... 

 

jin kumgong

 

in the end, the russians will placed him under house arrest and install a moscow-friendly regime.

 

this is what happen when u trust a bee kok president, especially if he/she is a dem.

 

wahahahahahahhahaha

[Huat Zai]

3 minutes ago, socrates469bc said:

 

u must understand the russian mindset.

 

they believe in using overwhelming brute forces to subjugate the enemy in attack and wearing down enemy using the vast russian hinterland in defence.

 

wahahahahahahahahaha

 

Works great when you're the defender, scorch earth and let the winter take care of the enemy, not so great when you're attacking. If the Ukrainian generals know what they are going, they will just hold down choke points, force the Russians to drag out their lines and keep harassing their supply chains.

 

1 minute ago, socrates469bc said:

 

 

jin kumgong

 

in the end, the russians will placed him under house arrest and install a moscow-friendly regime.

 

this is what happen when u trust a bee kok president, especially if he/she is a dem.

 

wahahahahahahhahaha

 

He just said he's not running from the country, he didn't say he won't run around in it

[socrates469bc]

1 minute ago, Huat Zai said:

 

Works great when you're the defender, scorch earth and let the winter take care of the enemy, not so great when you're attacking. If the Ukrainian generals know what they are going, they will just hold down choke points, force the Russians to drag out their lines and keep harassing their supply chains.

 

 

He just said he's not running from the country, he didn't say he won't run around in it

 

the russian attacking tactic has never changed since ww2.

 

the ukranians know this, thats why they r fighting a delaying action and launching small unit harassments since they cant fight against overwhelming russian forces.

 

the inevitable conclusion of the war is that russia will annex even a greater part of ukraine beyond crimea, which has always been part of mother russia.

 

this war is actually preventable if alzheimer biden and his security team study the history of russia in more depth like the previous admin, instead of relying on cnn history lessons.

 

wahahahahahahahahahah

[socrates469bc]

for those of u who r wondering why russia is so fixated with first crimea and then ukraine.

 

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/publication/why-did-russia-give-away-crimea-sixty-years-ago

 

https://study.com/academy/lesson/early-east-slavic-tribes-in-russia.html

 

https://www.britannica.com/topic/East-Slav

[The_King]

37 minutes ago, socrates469bc said:

 

the russian attacking tactic has never changed since ww2.

 

the ukranians know this, thats why they r fighting a delaying action and launching small unit harassments since they cant fight against overwhelming russian forces.

 

the inevitable conclusion of the war is that russia will annex even a greater part of ukraine beyond crimea, which has always been part of mother russia.

 

this war is actually preventable if alzheimer biden and his security team study the history of russia in more depth like the previous admin, instead of relying on cnn history lessons.

 

wahahahahahahahahahah

Better then nato

Aka no action talk only,

 

Ppl war already still talking and wayang

[The_King]

4 hours ago, Huat Zai said:

 

Never going to happen here...

agree

[The_King]

 

[The_King]

3 hours ago, socrates469bc said:

 

 

jin kumgong

 

in the end, the russians will placed him under house arrest and install a moscow-friendly regime.

 

this is what happen when u trust a bee kok president, especially if he/she is a dem.

 

wahahahahahahhahaha

it stupid, but i rather trust this leader then clown

 

in font of you

 

 

 

in fact this is the true color

[The_King]

what happen when you depend on FT too much, got trouble all run road

 

 

[The_King]

 

[The_King]

U.S., EU Cut Some Russian Banks From SWIFT, Target Central Bank

Western nations agreed to unleash new sanctions to further isolate Russia’s economy and financial system after initial penalties failed to persuade President Vladimir Putin to withdraw his forces from Ukraine. 

A decision to penalize Russia’s central bank and exclude some Russian banks from the SWIFT messaging system, used for trillions of dollars worth of transactions around the world, was announced Saturday in a joint statement by the U.S., European Commission, France, Germany, Italy, U.K. and Canada. The agreement includes measures to “prevent the Russian Central Bank from deploying its international reserves in ways that undermine the impact of our sanctions.” 

“Russia’s war represents an assault on fundamental international rules and norms that have prevailed since the Second World War, which we are committed to defending,” the Western governments said. They said they were “prepared to take further measures to hold Russia to account for its attack on Ukraine.”

Damage to the upper floors of a building in Kyiv on Feb. 26. As Russia’s military campaign continues, Western governments are stepping up sanctions.

Photographer: Daniel Leal/AFP/Getty Images

The move is aimed at Russian banks that have already been sanctioned by the international community, but can be expanded to other Russian financial institutions if necessary, officials said. One official said the White House is looking at exemptions for transactions involving the energy sector, which the U.S. administration has sought to exclude to prevent oil prices from surging.

More penalties against the central bank could come this weekend, according to a U.S. official. Russia has about $640 billion in reserves.

 

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-02-26/u-s-weighs-sanctions-on-russia-s-central-bank-over-ukraine

[The_King]

https://news.sky.com/video/ukraine-invasion-people-try-to-stop-russian-tanks-from-advancing-in-bakhmach-12552368