Ukraine Says Russia Has Launched a ‘Full-Scale’ Invasion

 

Ukrainian officials said there have been missile strikes in Kyiv, Russian Defense Ministry says it's not attacking cities

by Dave DeCamp 

Posted onFebruary 23, 2022CategoriesNewsTagsRussia, Ukraine

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba said Thursday that Russia has “has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.”

A series of explosions were reported across Ukraine, including near the capital Kyiv. Anton Gerashchenko, an advisor to Ukraine’s interior ministry, said there were “missile strikes on Kyiv.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that the Russian military is attacking Ukrainian military facilities and is not targeting cities contrary to claims that say otherwise.

“The Russian Armed Forces are not launching any missile or artillery strikes on the cities of Ukraine. High-precision weapons destroy military infrastructure: military airfields, aviation, air defense facilities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,” the statement read. “The civilian population is not at risk

Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special operation” in Ukraine’s eastern Donbas region. He said the operation was meant to defend people living in the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk (DPR and LPR), which Russia recognized on Monday. After ordering the operation, Putin said that he has “no plans to occupy the Ukrainian territories.”

President Biden released a statement condemning Putin’s operation and said he would announce on Thursday “further consequences” that the US and its allies will “impose on Russia.”

Putin’s order was preceded by the separatists in the DPR and LPR asking Russia for military assistance to help in “repelling the aggression” of the Ukrainian military. Putin recognized the breakaway republics amid a spike of ceasefire violations along the line of control in the Donbas.

The DPR and LPR first declared independence after the US-backed coup in Kyiv in 2014. Under the Minsk agreements, which were signed in 2014 and 2015, Ukraine agreed to cede some autonomy to the breakaway republics and hold elections. In exchange, the Donbas would be demilitarized and the region would remain part of Ukraine. But the accords were never fully implemented. After recognizing the republics, Putin said the Minsk agreements no longer exist.

Putin’s operation in Ukraine came after months of security talks between the US and Russia. Russia submitted a list of security proposals to the US, and chief among them was a demand to promise that Ukraine would never join NATO, which was ignored.

This is a breaking story and will be updated as it develops

https://news.antiwar.com/2022/02/23/ukraine-says-russia-has-launched-a-full-scale-invasion/