(NEW YORK) — In response to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s decision to recognize the separatist-controlled Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine as “independent” states, President Joe Biden announced sanctions against Russia in an effort to deter it from launching a full-scale invasion into Ukraine.
Biden on Tuesday called Putin’s decision “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” and warned that the sanctions could grow more severe.
“As Russia contemplates its next move, we have our next move prepared as well,” Biden said. “Russia will pay an even steeper price if it continues its aggression, including additional sanctions.”
Russia’s foreign minister Sergey Lavrov told Russian state TV that Russia was already “used to” sanctions and that it believes more sanctions would be imposed on Moscow regardless of what it does.
“That our [Western] colleagues are trying to push the blame on Russia for the failure of the Minsk agreements, we also understand,” he said, referring to a truce Ukraine and separatists signed in 2014. “Our European, American, British colleagues won’t stop and won’t calm down as long as they haven’t exhausted their possibilities for the so-called punishment of Russia.”
What are economic sanctions?
Economic sanctions are defined by the Council on Foreign Relations as the withdrawal of customary trade and financial relations for foreign and security policy purposes. The sanctions can be comprehensive, which prohibit economic activity with an entire country, or targeted, which block transactions by and with specific individuals, businesses or groups.
These restrictions are placed on individuals or entities and prevent them from doing business with the country imposing those sanctions. Sanctions put in place by the U.S. government cut off an individual or entities from the American financial system, meaning they can no longer do business in the U.S. and all their assets under U.S. jurisdiction are frozen.
Americans and American businesses are also prohibited from doing business with these institutions, unless authorized by the U.S. Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control.
Sanctions aim to impair the ability of the person or entity from being able to perform basic functions in the international financial system. They are used by the U.S. government depending on foreign policy and national security goals.
What sanctions did the US impose on Russia?
Sanctions were placed on two Russian state-owned financial institutions and five Kremlin-connected elite.
The financial institutions targeted are the Bank for Development and Foreign Economic Affairs, which is known as Vnesheconombank (VEB), and Promsvyazbank Public Joint Stock Company (PSB), along with 42 of their subsidiaries.
According to the U.S. Treasury Department, VEB is crucial to Russia’s ability to raise funds, and PSB is critical to Russia’s defense sector. The two institutions and their subsidiaries hold combined assets worth tens of billions of dollars.
“Today’s action constrains Russia’s ability to finance defense-related contracts and raise new funds to finance its campaign against Ukraine,” the Department of Treasury said in a statement Tuesday.
VEB has an asset portfolio of $53 billion, making it one of Russia’s top five financial institutions, according to the Treasury Department. Some of VEB’s sanctioned subsidiaries include banks and other financial firms, electronic component producers and a coal mining group in Russia and three other countries.
It is a servicer of Russia’s sovereign debt, a financier for exports and a funding source for investment projects with a loan portfolio of over $20 billion.
VEB finances Russia’s national economic development, including large-scale projects to develop domestic infrastructure and other industries critical to Russia’s generation of revenue.
PSB, Russia’s eighth-largest bank, was designated by the government to finance the Russian Ministry of Defense and defense sector, according to the U.S. Department of Treasury. It services nearly 70% of Russia’s defense contracts and provides banking and personal finance to Russian military personnel.
Seventeen of PSB’s subsidiaries were also sanctioned, including financial, technology and real estate-related entities.
Influential Russians and their family members who are in Putin’s inner circle and believed to be participating in the Russian regime’s “kleptocracy” — including the chairman and CEO of PSB — were also sanctioned, the Department of Treasury said.
“Today’s actions, taken in coordination with our partners and allies, begin the process of dismantling the Kremlin’s financial network and its ability to fund destabilizing activity in Ukraine and around the world,” Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen said.
“We continue to monitor Russia’s actions and if it further invades Ukraine, the United States will swiftly impose expansive economic sanctions that will have a severe and lasting impact on Russia’s economy,” she said.
Will the sanctions have an effect?
The sanctions put in place were not the most severe option available. They targeted institutions specific to raising funds and Russia’s defense sector, instead of institutions that ordinary Russians use.
“The measures today will have a measured impact on the Russian financial system. VEB is a significant bank, but it’s not the bank that banks everyday Russians. It’s a little more niche,” said Julia Friedlander, a former Treasury Department official who worked on sanctions policy.
She said not putting in place the most severe sanctions right away serve as a tactic.
“The idea is that you can’t blow all your options at once,” Friedlander, who is now a fellow at the Atlantic Council, said. “If you blow all your fire now, then what is Russia’s incentive to hold back?”
Sanctions that could be the most impactful would target Russia’s largest banks — like the state-owned banks that cover more than half of the Russian financial system — and the energy sector, Maria Shagina, a sanctions expert who specializes in Russia and Eastern Europe, told ABC News.
Sanctions on major banks could impact ordinary Russians, Shagina said. Sanctions on the current production of oil and gas could also have an impact, but the U.S. and Europe could also see spikes in prices. If future production is sanctioned, it would be less impactful, Shagina said.
White House officials have said they are considering targeting Russia’s largest banks. Experts told ABC News that hitting those big state-owned banks — Sberbank, VTB, Gazprombank and Rosselkhozbank — would mark a major escalation in the United States’ response.
“There’s a lot more banks out there that have a much larger role in the economy,” said Andrew Lohsen, a former officer with the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Special Monitoring Mission to Ukraine.
Russia has been preparing for sanctions, he said. Sberbank has reportedly been testing its ability to survive without access to Western software. It also has hundreds of billions in foreign currency reserves and in a national wealth fund.
“The Russian economy has worked to sanction-proof itself since 2014,” Lohsen, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told ABC News. “But at the end of the day, my concern is that Russia will just force its citizens to tighten its belts and will just proceed with this empire building project that it’s set for itself in Ukraine.”
He questioned whether the sanctions put in place will be enough to deter Russia.
“Can anything deter Putin,” he said, “short of return fire?”
(NEW YORK) — Russian President Vladimir Putin announced early Thursday local time that military operations had begun in Ukraine, kicking off a long-feared attack on their European neighbor.
Earlier Wednesday, Ukraine had taken steps to brace for a possible Russian invasion, declaring a nationwide state of emergency and calling up 36,000 military reservists.
U.S. President Joe Biden said a day earlier that the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia, after weeks of escalating tensions in the region.
Biden’s remarks followed a fiery address from Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region — the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk — which prompted a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the United States says some 190,000 Russian troops and pro-Russian separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has blamed Ukraine for stoking the crisis and reiterated its demands that Ukraine pledges to never join NATO.
Feb 23, 10:38 pm
Biden speaks on Russia attack: ‘Putin has chosen a premeditated war’
President Joe Biden released a statement calling Russian President Vladimir Putin’s military operation in Ukraine an “unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces.”
“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,” Biden said. “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.”
Biden said he would be monitoring the situation from the White House.
On Thursday, he will meet with his “G7 counterparts” — leaders from Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom — and then will give an address to announce “further consequences” on Russia “for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security,” he said.
Additionally, Biden said, the U.S. will coordinate with NATO allies “to ensure a strong, united response that deters any aggression against the Alliance.”
Feb 23, 10:21 pm
Russia begins attack on Ukraine as UN pleads for him to pull back
As President Vladimir Putin announced his invasion of Ukraine on Russian state TV, President Joe Biden’s envoy at the U.N. was making a plea to Moscow to halt any action.
“This is a perilous moment, and we are here for one reason and one reason only: to ask Russia to stop,” Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield said at the special session. “Return to your borders. Send your troops, and your tanks, and your planes back to their barracks and hangars. And send your diplomats to the negotiating table.”
“Back away from the brink, before it is too late,” she added, though it already appears to be too late.
Thomas-Greenfield said she spoke with Biden before Wednesday night’s meeting, saying he wanted to make clear the U.S. and its allies “will continue to respond to Russia’s actions with unity, clarity and conviction.”
Thomas-Greenfield threw down the gauntlet to other countries, saying “all parties are not culpable here. There’s no middle ground. … Russia is the aggressor here.”
Like other U.S. officials, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, she tried to appeal to the Russian people: “Everyday Russians should be asking themselves, right now, how many Russian lives Putin will sacrifice for his cynical ambitions?”
She ended by quoting the Ukrainian foreign minister, saying, “The people of Ukraine are counting on us. Let’s not let them down.”
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 10:13 pm
Explosions heard in Kyiv
Explosions have been heard in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Kirit Radia
Feb 23, 10:18 pm
Putin announces military operation in Ukraine
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that Russia would undertake a special military operation in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine in a speech on Russian state TV early Thursday morning.
Putin said the operation is aimed at what he called the “demilitarization” and “denazification” of Ukraine.
Putin said Russia’s plans did not include occupying Ukraine, but he called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and go home.
He warned outside countries not to interfere.
Feb 23, 10:03 pm
UN Security Council session underway
The U.S., France and other members of the United Nations Security Council are working on a draft resolution to condemn Russia during its late-night session Wednesday, according to France’s permanent representative to the U.N.
In somewhat of a rarity, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres addressed the chamber, speaking to the urgency of the meeting.
Looking directly into the camera ahead of him, Guterres addressed Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“If indeed an operation is being prepared, I have only one thing to say from the bottom of my heart: President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine. Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died,” he said.
Before the meeting, Guterres chatted with Russian Ambassador Vasily Nebenzya, who also talked with China’s envoy Zhang Jun.
It’s unclear if the resolution will get a vote during the emergency session. But when it comes up, it will likely be denied by Russia and its veto power.
In 2014, after Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine, a U.S. resolution declaring the action invalid was denied by Russia’s veto, while China abstained. The U.S. then brought the resolution to the U.N. General Assembly, where resolutions are non-binding but every member has a vote. It passed with about 100 votes in favor.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 9:47 pm
Russia issues notices for air travel to avoid northeastern Ukraine
Russia has issued a series of NOTAMs, or Notice to Air Missions, in northeastern Ukraine as a warning to civilian aircraft in the area.
There are 12 NOTAMs from Russia providing coordinates that map in northeastern Ukraine. They include warnings to airports in Kyiv, Lviv, Dnipro and Odesa and say they are “due to potential hazard for civil aviation.”
These alerts are a warning from Russia to flights entering these areas that they do so at their own risk.
-ABC News’ Christine Theodorou
Feb 23, 8:34 pm
Russian military leaders have gone to command center
In another indication that an invasion of Ukraine may be very close to taking place, Russian military leaders have gone to their command center, and cyber attacks are underway, according to a U.S. official.
Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, believes any invasion has to happen during the night, the official said.
-ABC News’ Chief Global Affairs Correspondent Martha Raddatz
Feb 23, 7:34 pm
UN Security Council to meet again
The U.N. Security Council will meet in another late-night session at 9:30 p.m. ET, a U.N. diplomat told ABC News.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called for the meeting earlier Wednesday evening.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 7:08 pm
Ukrainian president posts video, says he tried to call Putin but got ‘silence’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an impassioned televised address, in which he said Ukraine doesn’t want war and rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is a threat or home to Nazism.
Zelenskyy said he tried to call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. “The result — silence,” he said.
Zelenskyy spoke in Russian for part of the address to appeal directly to the Russian people.
“We don’t need war. Not a cold one, nor a hot one, nor a hybrid one,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are separated by more than 2,000 kilometers of shared border. Along it today stand your troops, almost 200,000 soldiers, thousands of military vehicles,” he added. “Your leadership has approved their step forward, onto the territory of another country. And this step can become the start of a big war on the European continent,” he said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 6:43 pm
Ukrainian president posts video, says he tried to call Putin but got ‘silence’
Ukrianian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an impassioned televised address, in which he said Ukraine doesn’t want war and rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is a threat or home to Nazism.
Zelenskyy said he tried to call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. “The result — silence,” he said.
Zelenskyy spoke in Russian for part of the address to appeal directly to the Russian people.
“We don’t need war. Not a cold one, nor a hot one, nor a hybrid one,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are separated by more than 2,000 kilometers of shared border. Along it today stand your troops, almost 200,000 soldiers, thousands of military vehicles,” he added. “Your leadership has approved their step forward, onto the territory of another country. And this step can become the start of a big war on the European continent,” he said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 5:57 pm
No fly notice issued for Ukraine airport near Russian border
A no fly notice was issued for an airport in Kharkiv, a city in eastern Ukraine only 20 miles from Russia.
The Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) will close the airport until 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
The move comes after the Ukrainian military told leaders that Russia may target Kharkiv in an attack, according to sources.
Satellite imagery shows Russian troop deployments less than 50 miles from the city.
-ABC News’ Kirit Radia
Feb 23, 5:53 pm
Ukraine requests urgent UN Security Council meeting
Ukraine has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the appeal made by Russian-controlled separatists for military help from Russia.
“Ukraine has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council due to the appeal by Russian occupation administrations in Donetsk and Luhansk to Russia with a request to provide them with military assistance, which is a further escalation of the security situation,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 5:08 pm
US embassy in Moscow to remain open
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters the U.S. is not planning to draw down its embassy in Moscow.
“It will be our goal to be in a position to maintain diplomatic communication, the ability to convey clearly any messages that we need to send to the Russian Federation. Embassies are an important tool in that,” he said.
Price had no comment on whether Ukraine should sever diplomatic ties with Russia and said it’s their choice.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 4:22 pm
Pentagon warns Russia is ‘ready’ to invade
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, at an afternoon press briefing on Wednesday, said Russian forces are now prepared for an invasion of Ukraine.
“What we see is that Russian forces continue to assemble closer to the border and put themselves in an advanced stage of readiness to act to conduct military action in Ukraine,” Kirby said. “We believe that they are ready.”
He said that the U.S. does not know when or how an invasion might begin but repeated President Joe Biden’s message that if a large-scale invasion happens, it will be a “war of choice” for Putin.
“There will be suffering, there will be sacrifice, and all of that must and should be laid at his feet because he’s doing this by choice,” Kirby said.
“I would hope that he understands that some of those lives at risk will be his soldiers’ lives and he’s going to have to answer to Russian moms and dads about their soldiers that aren’t making it back home alive or making it back with injuries. He’s going to have to answer for that,” Kirby added later.
Kirby went farther than a senior defense official who spoke to reporters earlier Wednesday, saying the U.S. “certainly” believes Russia is sending additional troops into the separatist-controlled areas of Donbas.
“We can’t confirm with any great specificity, the numbers and what the formations are, what the capabilities are, but we certainly that that’s happening,” he said.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Feb 23, 4:20 pm
Separatists appeal to Putin for military assistance
Russian-controlled separatists have formally appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for military assistance in repulsing “Ukrainian aggression”, according to the Kremlin’s spokesman.
In a letter, the separatist leaders invoked the mutual defense pact Russia signed with them after recognizing them.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, have maintained that Russia is the aggressor on the ground.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 4:18 pm
State Department addresses Nord Stream 2 sanctions
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at Wednesday’s briefing that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is beginning.”
Price outlined the sanctions placed on Russia, including President Joe Biden’s recent sanctioning of Nord Stream 2 AG, the company in charge of the natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
“By acting together with the Germans, how we did when we did and the way in which we did, we have ensured that this is an $11 billion prize investment that is now a hunk of steel, sitting at the bottom of the sea,” Price said.
Echoing remarks from Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, Price said the U.S. will no longer engage in the “pretense of diplomacy” with Russia, adding, “This is and has been, in some ways, diplomatic Kabuki theater on the part of the Russians.
“The goal now is to “avert the worst-case scenario” in Ukraine, he said, which may include “an attack on major urban centers, including Kyiv” and “horrific human rights abuses, atrocities, potential war crimes.”
“These are all things that even as the invasion is beginning, we are going to do everything we reasonably can to prevent from happening,” Price said.
When asked about former President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praising Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, Price replied, “I have no response. In fact, I have no words.”
Feb 23, 3:05 pm
Pelosi defends Biden’s handling of crisis
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “tyrant” on Wednesday and defended President Joe Biden’s handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
“This is the same tyrant who attacked our democracy in 2016,” Pelosi said during her weekly press briefing. “This is the same tyrant who is opposed to democracy and wants to minimize, trivialize it, to downgrade it in the eyes of the Russian people.”
While Biden has faced political attacks from some Republicans who argue U.S. sanctions do not go far enough, Pelosi called the president’s actions “appropriate.”
“This is a unified effort by our allies in the NATO alliance. And what was proposed was what was agreed to in terms of timing,” she said.
ABC News’ senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott asked Pelosi and other lawmakers if they believe the sanctions announced by the administration Tuesday were enough to deter Putin.
“I think the sanctions are going to just continue to increase and we’ll have an ultimately crippling impact on many sectors of the Russian economy,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., responded.
Pelosi added that Russia hasn’t seen the “depth” of the sanctions take hold yet.
“Putin is probably the richest man in the world,” Pelosi said. “Follow the money. That’s what’s the sanctions are about.”
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Feb 23, 2:09 pm
Biden imposes US sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG
President Joe Biden announced additional sanctions on Wednesday impacting Nord Stream 2 AG, the company in charge of building Nord Stream 2, the massive natural gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany’s Baltic coast.
“Yesterday, after further close consultations between our two governments, Germany announced that it would halt certification of the pipeline. Today, I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he had directed his administration to sanction Nord Stream 2 AG, as well as the firm’s corporate officers.
The Biden administration had held off sanctioning the company, holding the threat of sanctions as leverage.
The president said this move was part of the “initial tranche of sanctions” that he first announced and began to roll out on Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 23, 1:46 pm
Russian forces ‘as ready as they can be’ to invade: US defense official
About 80% of Russian forces amassed around Ukraine are in what the Pentagon calls “forward positions” and are “ready to go” if given the order to invade, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
The official said the U.S. has not seen Russian troops breaking out from the two separatist republics in eastern Ukraine but added that the U.S. is operating under the assumption that Russia has, indeed, sent more troops into the separatist-controlled area of Donbas.
“We have we have been saying any day now, and it is certainly possible that today is that day,” the official said. “They could go at any hour now.”
While the official said it still appears Russia is preparing for a large-scale invasion, they added, “If ever we want to be wrong, we want to be wrong about this.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Luis Martinez
Feb 23, 12:45 pm
White House threatens other sanctions in US toolkit
Asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega on what the U.S. could do if sanctions imposed Tuesday don’t work, White House press secretary Jen Psaki laid out additional sanctions that the U.S. could still impose.
“Sanctions can take a number of formats, right?” Psaki said at Tuesday’s press briefing. “Export controls is certainly one of them. There’s many more sanctions that we have at our disposal. Swift, the SWIFT system is obviously significant, not in the first tranche, but there’s a range of options that remain on the table for sanctions.”
While the U.S. said Tuesday that cutting Russia off from the international SWIFT financial system was still an option, it’s conceivable the Russians could find a way around SWIFT and move to other less-regulated payments systems.
Psaki also said sanctions are not intended to have “the harshest impact on the first day” but are “designed to have a squeezing impact over the course of time and we have many more escalatory steps that we could take.”
The top White House official crafting U.S. sanctions on Russia, Daleep Singh, also told reporters that the U.S. wasn’t seeking to “max out on sanctions” but that “they’re meant to prevent and deter a large-scale invasion of Ukraine that could involve the seizure of major cities, including Kyiv.”
Psaki echoed Biden in saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech to the Russian people on Monday “was rife with historical inaccuracy” and that Putin “made clear that he does not view Ukraine, not just the areas he recognized yesterday, but that the totality of Ukraine as an independent country.”
Notably, Biden did not mention personally targeting Putin on Tuesday, which he had previously said he was considering.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittelson, Zunaira Zaki and Elizabeth Schultze
Feb 23, 12:44 pm
Lawmakers warn Biden to seek authorization before sending troops to Ukraine
While President Joe Biden has made clear he is not considering sending U.S. troops into Ukraine, having said it would lead to war, a group of lawmakers sent him a letter late Tuesday to remind him that he must get authorization from Congress before he decides to engage the military in Ukraine.
The bipartisan oddball group of lawmakers who signed the letter includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., among about three dozen others.
“If the ongoing situation compels you to introduce the brave men and women of our military into Ukraine, their lives would inherently be put at risk of Russia chooses to invade,” read the letter, which Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., shared on Twitter. “Therefore, we ask that your decisions comport with the Constitution and our nation’s laws by consulting with Congress to receive authorization before any such development.”
Lawmakers wrote that the War Powers Resolution of 1973 has been abused by previous presidents, and they noted that the act restricted Biden from not only engaging troops in battle but also from launching a “pre-emptive strike.”
“Congress stands ready to deliberate over the potentially monumental implications of such scenarios,” they said.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Feb 23, 12:15 pm
EU imposes more sanctions on Russia
The European Union imposed Wednesday another slew of tough sanctions on Russia over its recognition of two pro-Russian separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
The move is an attempt to deter Moscow from proceeding further withs its invasion of Ukraine and follows Tuesday’s decision by Germany to halt the certification of a key natural gas pipeline to Russia.
The package of measures adopted by the Council of the EU were published online Wednesday and include a ban on the Russian state and its central bank from accessing the EU’s capital and finance markets; sanctions against three Russian state banks; blacklisting all 351 members of the Russian parliament that voted earlier this week to ratify the decision to recgonize the separatist regions as independent; sanctions against 27 “high profile individuals and entities, including the Russian defense minister, top Kremlin officials and propagandists; and an import ban and restrictions on trade and investment, as well as a partial export ban on the two separatist areas.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 11:46 am
Ukraine FM calls on UN to act or face ‘the darkest times of the 20th Century’
The United Nations General Assembly — which includes all U.N. recognized governments — is meeting Wednesday in its main hall to address the crisis created by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, fresh from his meetings Tuesday with President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials, addressed the hall as the first country, speaking after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In a firm speech, Kuleba blasted Russia’s recognition of its separatist areas as “independent” and deployment of troops there as an “attack on the United Nations” itself — a “grim scenario which will throw us back to the darkest times of the 20th century.”
“I warn every nation in this distinguished chamber: No one will be able to sit out this crisis,” he said. “Your governments and your people will face painful consequences together with our government and our people,” Kuleba told the chamber.
“The beginning of a large-scale war in Ukraine will be the end of the world order as we know it. If Russia does not get a severe, swift, and decisive response now, this will mean a total bankruptcy of the international security system and international institutions which are tasked with maintaining the global security order,” he added.
He warned other actors will be “inspired” by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions and follow his lead — turning the United Nations into the League of Nations, the early 20th-century international organization that was seen as feckless in stopping the Axis Powers in the lead up to World War II — a history Kuleba directly referenced.
“We all read history books. We all watch movies about the mistakes politicians made in the run-up to 1914 and 1939, about the feats of our grandparents and the catastrophic price at which a revanchist ruler in Europe was defeated. There is no more important task today than to not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
To prevent that, Kuleba called for “decisive, immediate, and proportional action” by the international community — not just condemnations and statements, but actions.
“These days, we have probably the last window of opportunity to do what Russia does not expect the United Nations and its member states to do — demonstrate unprecedented ability and readiness to act in order to stop aggression,” he said — finishing by calling on members, regardless of their relations with one another individually, to do “your ultimate duty, to defend the charter of the United Nations.”
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 10:56 am
Another cyberattack hits Ukraine government websites
Ukraine’s government said Wednesday a new cyberattack has hit several of its government ministries, knocking their websites offline, amid warnings of attacks from Russia both on the ground and on the web.
Mikhail Fedorov, minister for digital transformation in Ukraine, announced that a “massive DDoS” attack hit around 4 p.m. local time. He said the websites of Ukraine’s cabinet, parliament and foreign ministry were down and that a number of banks were also having problems.
“It is connected with traffic switching on other provider for minimization of damage from the attack,” he said.
RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency, also reported the cyberattack.
It comes one week after a similar cyberattack in Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 10:10 am
Russian attack may come in next 2 days: Ukraine’s military to lawmakers
Ukraine’s military has briefed key members of parliament that it now believes the situation in eastern Ukraine with Russia may sharply deteriorate in the next two days, according to four sources with knowledge of what was said during the briefing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present at the Wednesday night briefing, sources said, where the military said they now believe Russia may launch a major attack that would go beyond Eastern Ukraine, targeting at least two major cities. Sources said they told the members of parliament that Kyiv might also be a target — in line with U.S. officials warning that Russia is preparing a full-scale invasion that will go beyond eastern Ukraine and target Kyiv.
According to two sources, the military believes Russia may target Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city that is located around 20 miles from the border with Russia in the east, and also Kherson, a city in the south close to Crimea.
In a shift of tone Thursday, Ukraine has been taking new steps to brace for a possible attack, declaring a nationwide state of emergency and calling up 36,000 reservists. But publicly Zelenskyy’s administration has continued to say it is not certain whether Russia will attack. It has said, for now, a full-scale mobilization is not necessary, and it has not declared martial law.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd and Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 9:22 am
US sanctions to be met with ‘strong response,’ Russia warns
Russia warned Wednesday that the latest sanctions imposed by the United States “will be met with a strong response.”
“The round of sanctions announced by the United States Administration [already the 101st in a row] affecting the financial sector with the expansion of the list of persons against whom personal restrictions are imposed is in line with Washington’s ongoing attempts to change Russia’s course,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “There should be no doubt that the sanctions will be met with a strong response, not necessarily symmetrical, but well-grounded and sensitive for the American side.”
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the latest sanctions, which he said would target two Russian banks, Russia’s sovereign debt and, starting Wednesday, the Russian elite and their relatives.
Feb 23, 9:06 am
Russia marks Defender of the Fatherland Day
Russia marked Defender of the Fatherland Day on Wednesday.
In a video message, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his fellow Russians on the public holiday and noted the importance of ensuring the country’s defense capability.
“Dear comrades, today ensuring the defense capability of our country remains the most important state task, and the armed forces serve as a reliable guarantee of national security, the peaceful and calm life of our citizens, and the stable, progressive development of Russia,” Putin said.
The Russian leader was seen taking part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow.
Feb 23, 6:24 am
Ukrainian military begins calling up 36,000 reservists
Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it has begun calling up some reservists in response to an order from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The military general staff said they will be calling up reservists aged 18 to 60 starting Wednesday.
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said Wednesday that the number of reservists being called up was 36,000, most of whom he said already have combat experience.
On Tuesday, while signing a decree to call up some of Ukraine’s military reservists, Zelenskyy emphasized that it was not yet a full mobilization but just the “active reserve,” or troops with combat training.
Zelenskyy said the order was necessary because Ukraine’s military now needs to be at “heightened readiness” for any changes in the situation on the ground with Russia.
Feb 23, 6:17 am
Ukraine to declare nationwide state of emergency
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, announced Wednesday that a nationwide state of emergency will be declared due to the threat of a Russian invasion.
The declaration must be approved by the Ukrainian parliament before the state of emergency can go into effect for an initial 30 days. The move, which differs from the introduction of martial law, would allow local authorities across the country of 41 million people to put restrictions and heightened security measures in place, such as curfews and limits on movement.
Danilov said the state of emergency would be a “preventative” measure “so that the country preserves its calm, so that our economy works and our country works.” Any restrictions imposed under the declaration would likely vary from region to region, according to Danilov.
“Depending on situation on the ground in a particular area, the local bodies can impose various measures including curfews, only if needed,” Danilov said at a press conference Wednesday. “We won’t make people suffer unnecessarily but we must insure people’s safety.”
He then gave examples of what those restrictions could be: “It can the reinforcing of security around public order and critical infrastructure facilities. It can be certain limits imposed of the movement of transport. It can mean additional vigilance. It can be the checking of various documents for people.”
Danilov noted that the state of emergency would be imposed on all of Ukraine’s territory except for the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk because a special emergency status has been in place there since 2014, when pro-Russian separatists took control of some areas.
Feb 23, 5:33 am
Ukrainian right-wing volunteer battalion mobilizes
One of Ukraine’s far-right volunteer battalions announced Wednesday it is mobilizing to prepare to fight, amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
During Russia’s first invasion in 2014, the Ukrainian army was in disarray, prompting civilians to form volunteer battalions — many of them with right-wing ideologies. These highly motivated private armies — some funded by oligarchs — helped stem the fall of eastern Ukraine to Russia-backed separatists.
But once large-scale fighting had ended, the Ukrainian government moved the volunteer battalions back from the front line because they were seen as potentially provocative and problematic.
The so-called Right Sector is one of Ukraine’s most famous volunteer battalions. It’s made up of radical nationalists who played a crucial role in the 2014 revolution. In Russia, the group was made into a propaganda boogeyman.
The Right Sector’s return to the front line in eastern Ukraine will be used heavily by Russian propaganda. But it also shows how worried Ukrainians are getting, especially if more volunteer battalions start mobilizing.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Right Sector said it is mobilizing its “assault brigade” due to the “high probability of the start of a full-scale invasion by the Russian army.”
“Our unit has already defended Ukrainian independence for 8 years from the occupiers,” the group said. “In the case of a full scale invasion we, as always, will be at the front of the fight.”
Feb 23, 4:29 am
Russia claims 100,000 refugees have fled eastern Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Wednesday that 100,000 refugees from two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine have arrived across the border in Russia.
The claim was unverified and highly improbable, as it appeared to be part of Russia’s intensifying efforts to spin an image of a major humanitarian crisis in the region to build a pretext for a possible invasion.
Russia-backed separatists have forced civilians living in the areas to evacuate despite the fact that there is no increased threat from the Ukrainian military. While thousands of people have been bused out of the region to Russia, the alleged figure of 100,000 appeared vastly exaggerated.
Russia’s claims have been accompanied by a barrage of false stories and staged videos of alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, all of which have been blaring across Russian state media in recent days.
Feb 23, 12:03 am
Russia-backed separatists make ‘terror attacks’ claim as Russia continues to build pretext
Russian-controlled separatists are claiming two large “terrorist attacks” took place in their territory Tuesday night, as the separatists and Russia continue to intensify their efforts to create a pretext for a possible Russian attack.
The separatists claimed explosions went off at a TV tower and near a trolley bus depot, and they released video afterward they claim shows emergency workers looking at damage.
The claims are highly suspect, and they came amid a barrage of fake reports of supposed Ukrainian attacks that are being swiftly debunked.
The claims also came as Ukraine released video showing heavy artillery fire from separatists hitting a village called Chastiya — which means “happiness” — on the Ukrainian side of the frontline. The video appears to show rockets striking a house.
Artillery fire also hit a power station nearby yesterday.
It appears the Russian-controlled separatists have intensified their fire onto Ukrainian positions in the hope of stoking return fire and creating an impression of a general escalation.
(NEW YORK) — To address the crisis at its border after publicly downplaying warnings, Ukraine on Wednesday took steps to brace for a possible Russian invasion, declaring a nationwide state of emergency and calling up 36,000 military reservists.
U.S. President Joe Biden said a day earlier that the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia, after weeks of escalating tensions in the region.
Biden’s remarks followed a fiery address from Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Russian public on Monday evening, when the leader announced he was recognizing the independence of two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region — the self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk — which prompted a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the United States says some 190,000 Russian troops and pro-Russian separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands that Ukraine pledges to never join NATO.
Here’s how the news is developing. All times Eastern:
Feb 23, 7:34 pm
UN Security Council to meet again
The U.N. Security Council will meet in another late-night session at 9:30 p.m. ET, a U.N. diplomat told ABC News.
Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba called for the meeting earlier Wednesday evening.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 7:08 pm
Ukrainian president posts video, says he tried to call Putin but got ‘silence’
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an impassioned televised address, in which he said Ukraine doesn’t want war and rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is a threat or home to Nazism.
Zelenskyy said he tried to call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. “The result — silence,” he said.
Zelenskyy spoke in Russian for part of the address to appeal directly to the Russian people.
“We don’t need war. Not a cold one, nor a hot one, nor a hybrid one,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are separated by more than 2,000 kilometers of shared border. Along it today stand your troops, almost 200,000 soldiers, thousands of military vehicles,” he added. “Your leadership has approved their step forward, onto the territory of another country. And this step can become the start of a big war on the European continent,” he said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 6:43 pm
Ukrainian president posts video, says he tried to call Putin but got ‘silence’
Ukrianian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy gave an impassioned televised address, in which he said Ukraine doesn’t want war and rejected Russia’s claims that Ukraine is a threat or home to Nazism.
Zelenskyy said he tried to call Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday. “The result — silence,” he said.
Zelenskyy spoke in Russian for part of the address to appeal directly to the Russian people.
“We don’t need war. Not a cold one, nor a hot one, nor a hybrid one,” Zelenskyy said.
“We are separated by more than 2,000 kilometers of shared border. Along it today stand your troops, almost 200,000 soldiers, thousands of military vehicles,” he added. “Your leadership has approved their step forward, onto the territory of another country. And this step can become the start of a big war on the European continent,” he said.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 5:57 pm
No fly notice issued for Ukraine airport near Russian border
A no fly notice was issued for an airport in Kharkiv, a city in eastern Ukraine only 20 miles from Russia.
The Notice to Air Mission (NOTAM) will close the airport until 8:30 a.m. Thursday.
The move comes after the Ukrainian military told leaders that Russia may target Kharkiv in an attack, according to sources.
Satellite imagery shows Russian troop deployments less than 50 miles from the city.
-ABC News’ Kirit Radia
Feb 23, 5:53 pm
Ukraine requests urgent UN Security Council meeting
Ukraine has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council in response to the appeal made by Russian-controlled separatists for military help from Russia.
“Ukraine has requested an urgent meeting of the UN Security Council due to the appeal by Russian occupation administrations in Donetsk and Luhansk to Russia with a request to provide them with military assistance, which is a further escalation of the security situation,” Ukraine’s foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 5:08 pm
US embassy in Moscow to remain open
State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters the U.S. is not planning to draw down its embassy in Moscow.
“It will be our goal to be in a position to maintain diplomatic communication, the ability to convey clearly any messages that we need to send to the Russian Federation. Embassies are an important tool in that,” he said.
Price had no comment on whether Ukraine should sever diplomatic ties with Russia and said it’s their choice.
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 4:22 pm
Pentagon warns Russia is ‘ready’ to invade
Pentagon press secretary John Kirby, at an afternoon press briefing on Wednesday, said Russian forces are now prepared for an invasion of Ukraine.
“What we see is that Russian forces continue to assemble closer to the border and put themselves in an advanced stage of readiness to act to conduct military action in Ukraine,” Kirby said. “We believe that they are ready.”
He said that the U.S. does not know when or how an invasion might begin but repeated President Joe Biden’s message that if a large-scale invasion happens, it will be a “war of choice” for Putin.
“There will be suffering, there will be sacrifice, and all of that must and should be laid at his feet because he’s doing this by choice,” Kirby said.
“I would hope that he understands that some of those lives at risk will be his soldiers’ lives and he’s going to have to answer to Russian moms and dads about their soldiers that aren’t making it back home alive or making it back with injuries. He’s going to have to answer for that,” Kirby added later.
Kirby went farther than a senior defense official who spoke to reporters earlier Wednesday, saying the U.S. “certainly” believes Russia is sending additional troops into the separatist-controlled areas of Donbas.
“We can’t confirm with any great specificity, the numbers and what the formations are, what the capabilities are, but we certainly that that’s happening,” he said.
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler
Feb 23, 4:20 pm
Separatists appeal to Putin for military assistance
Russian-controlled separatists have formally appealed to Russian President Vladimir Putin for military assistance in repulsing “Ukrainian aggression”, according to the Kremlin’s spokesman.
In a letter, the separatist leaders invoked the mutual defense pact Russia signed with them after recognizing them.
Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, have maintained that Russia is the aggressor on the ground.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 4:18 pm
State Department addresses Nord Stream 2 sanctions
State Department spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at Wednesday’s briefing that “Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is beginning.”
Price outlined the sanctions placed on Russia, including President Joe Biden’s recent sanctioning of Nord Stream 2 AG, the company in charge of the natural gas pipeline from Russia to Germany.
“By acting together with the Germans, how we did when we did and the way in which we did, we have ensured that this is an $11 billion prize investment that is now a hunk of steel, sitting at the bottom of the sea,” Price said.
Echoing remarks from Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Tuesday, Price said the U.S. will no longer engage in the “pretense of diplomacy” with Russia, adding, “This is and has been, in some ways, diplomatic Kabuki theater on the part of the Russians.
“The goal now is to “avert the worst-case scenario” in Ukraine, he said, which may include “an attack on major urban centers, including Kyiv” and “horrific human rights abuses, atrocities, potential war crimes.”
“These are all things that even as the invasion is beginning, we are going to do everything we reasonably can to prevent from happening,” Price said.
When asked about former President Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo praising Russian President Vladimir Putin this week, Price replied, “I have no response. In fact, I have no words.”
Feb 23, 3:05 pm
Pelosi defends Biden’s handling of crisis
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi referred to Russian President Vladimir Putin as a “tyrant” on Wednesday and defended President Joe Biden’s handling of the crisis in Ukraine.
“This is the same tyrant who attacked our democracy in 2016,” Pelosi said during her weekly press briefing. “This is the same tyrant who is opposed to democracy and wants to minimize, trivialize it, to downgrade it in the eyes of the Russian people.”
While Biden has faced political attacks from some Republicans who argue U.S. sanctions do not go far enough, Pelosi called the president’s actions “appropriate.”
“This is a unified effort by our allies in the NATO alliance. And what was proposed was what was agreed to in terms of timing,” she said.
ABC News’ senior congressional correspondent Rachel Scott asked Pelosi and other lawmakers if they believe the sanctions announced by the administration Tuesday were enough to deter Putin.
“I think the sanctions are going to just continue to increase and we’ll have an ultimately crippling impact on many sectors of the Russian economy,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., responded.
Pelosi added that Russia hasn’t seen the “depth” of the sanctions take hold yet.
“Putin is probably the richest man in the world,” Pelosi said. “Follow the money. That’s what’s the sanctions are about.”
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Feb 23, 2:09 pm
Biden imposes US sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG
President Joe Biden announced additional sanctions on Wednesday impacting Nord Stream 2 AG, the company in charge of building Nord Stream 2, the massive natural gas pipeline connecting Russia to Germany’s Baltic coast.
“Yesterday, after further close consultations between our two governments, Germany announced that it would halt certification of the pipeline. Today, I have directed my administration to impose sanctions on Nord Stream 2 AG and its corporate officers,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he had directed his administration to sanction Nord Stream 2 AG, as well as the firm’s corporate officers.
The Biden administration had held off sanctioning the company, holding the threat of sanctions as leverage.
The president said this move was part of the “initial tranche of sanctions” that he first announced and began to roll out on Tuesday.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittleson
Feb 23, 1:46 pm
Russian forces ‘as ready as they can be’ to invade: US defense official
About 80% of Russian forces amassed around Ukraine are in what the Pentagon calls “forward positions” and are “ready to go” if given the order to invade, a senior defense official said Wednesday.
The official said the U.S. has not seen Russian troops breaking out from the two separatist republics in eastern Ukraine but added that the U.S. is operating under the assumption that Russia has, indeed, sent more troops into the separatist-controlled area of Donbas.
“We have we have been saying any day now, and it is certainly possible that today is that day,” the official said. “They could go at any hour now.”
While the official said it still appears Russia is preparing for a large-scale invasion, they added, “If ever we want to be wrong, we want to be wrong about this.”
-ABC News’ Matt Seyler and Luis Martinez
Feb 23, 12:45 pm
White House threatens other sanctions in US toolkit
Asked by ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Cecilia Vega on what the U.S. could do if sanctions imposed Tuesday don’t work, White House press secretary Jen Psaki laid out additional sanctions that the U.S. could still impose.
“Sanctions can take a number of formats, right?” Psaki said at Tuesday’s press briefing. “Export controls is certainly one of them. There’s many more sanctions that we have at our disposal. Swift, the SWIFT system is obviously significant, not in the first tranche, but there’s a range of options that remain on the table for sanctions.”
While the U.S. said Tuesday that cutting Russia off from the international SWIFT financial system was still an option, it’s conceivable the Russians could find a way around SWIFT and move to other less-regulated payments systems.
Psaki also said sanctions are not intended to have “the harshest impact on the first day” but are “designed to have a squeezing impact over the course of time and we have many more escalatory steps that we could take.”
The top White House official crafting U.S. sanctions on Russia, Daleep Singh, also told reporters that the U.S. wasn’t seeking to “max out on sanctions” but that “they’re meant to prevent and deter a large-scale invasion of Ukraine that could involve the seizure of major cities, including Kyiv.”
Psaki echoed Biden in saying that Russian President Vladimir Putin’s speech to the Russian people on Monday “was rife with historical inaccuracy” and that Putin “made clear that he does not view Ukraine, not just the areas he recognized yesterday, but that the totality of Ukraine as an independent country.”
Notably, Biden did not mention personally targeting Putin on Tuesday, which he had previously said he was considering.
-ABC News’ Ben Gittelson, Zunaira Zaki and Elizabeth Schultze
Feb 23, 12:44 pm
Lawmakers warn Biden to seek authorization before sending troops to Ukraine
While President Joe Biden has made clear he is not considering sending U.S. troops into Ukraine, having said it would lead to war, a group of lawmakers sent him a letter late Tuesday to remind him that he must get authorization from Congress before he decides to engage the military in Ukraine.
The bipartisan oddball group of lawmakers who signed the letter includes Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, D-N.Y., Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Florida, and Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., among about three dozen others.
“If the ongoing situation compels you to introduce the brave men and women of our military into Ukraine, their lives would inherently be put at risk of Russia chooses to invade,” read the letter, which Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., shared on Twitter. “Therefore, we ask that your decisions comport with the Constitution and our nation’s laws by consulting with Congress to receive authorization before any such development.”
Lawmakers wrote that the War Powers Resolution of 1973 has been abused by previous presidents, and they noted that the act restricted Biden from not only engaging troops in battle but also from launching a “pre-emptive strike.”
“Congress stands ready to deliberate over the potentially monumental implications of such scenarios,” they said.
-ABC News’ Mariam Khan
Feb 23, 12:15 pm
EU imposes more sanctions on Russia
The European Union imposed Wednesday another slew of tough sanctions on Russia over its recognition of two pro-Russian separatist areas in eastern Ukraine.
The move is an attempt to deter Moscow from proceeding further withs its invasion of Ukraine and follows Tuesday’s decision by Germany to halt the certification of a key natural gas pipeline to Russia.
The package of measures adopted by the Council of the EU were published online Wednesday and include a ban on the Russian state and its central bank from accessing the EU’s capital and finance markets; sanctions against three Russian state banks; blacklisting all 351 members of the Russian parliament that voted earlier this week to ratify the decision to recgonize the separatist regions as independent; sanctions against 27 “high profile individuals and entities, including the Russian defense minister, top Kremlin officials and propagandists; and an import ban and restrictions on trade and investment, as well as a partial export ban on the two separatist areas.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 11:46 am
Ukraine FM calls on UN to act or face ‘the darkest times of the 20th Century’
The United Nations General Assembly — which includes all U.N. recognized governments — is meeting Wednesday in its main hall to address the crisis created by Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba, fresh from his meetings Tuesday with President Joe Biden and other top U.S. officials, addressed the hall as the first country, speaking after U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. In a firm speech, Kuleba blasted Russia’s recognition of its separatist areas as “independent” and deployment of troops there as an “attack on the United Nations” itself — a “grim scenario which will throw us back to the darkest times of the 20th century.”
“I warn every nation in this distinguished chamber: No one will be able to sit out this crisis,” he said. “Your governments and your people will face painful consequences together with our government and our people,” Kuleba told the chamber.
“The beginning of a large-scale war in Ukraine will be the end of the world order as we know it. If Russia does not get a severe, swift, and decisive response now, this will mean a total bankruptcy of the international security system and international institutions which are tasked with maintaining the global security order,” he added.
He warned other actors will be “inspired” by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s actions and follow his lead — turning the United Nations into the League of Nations, the early 20th-century international organization that was seen as feckless in stopping the Axis Powers in the lead up to World War II — a history Kuleba directly referenced.
“We all read history books. We all watch movies about the mistakes politicians made in the run-up to 1914 and 1939, about the feats of our grandparents and the catastrophic price at which a revanchist ruler in Europe was defeated. There is no more important task today than to not repeat the mistakes of the past,” he said.
To prevent that, Kuleba called for “decisive, immediate, and proportional action” by the international community — not just condemnations and statements, but actions.
“These days, we have probably the last window of opportunity to do what Russia does not expect the United Nations and its member states to do — demonstrate unprecedented ability and readiness to act in order to stop aggression,” he said — finishing by calling on members, regardless of their relations with one another individually, to do “your ultimate duty, to defend the charter of the United Nations.”
-ABC News’ Conor Finnegan
Feb 23, 10:56 am
Another cyberattack hits Ukraine government websites
Ukraine’s government said Wednesday a new cyberattack has hit several of its government ministries, knocking their websites offline, amid warnings of attacks from Russia both on the ground and on the web.
Mikhail Fedorov, minister for digital transformation in Ukraine, announced that a “massive DDoS” attack hit around 4 p.m. local time. He said the websites of Ukraine’s cabinet, parliament and foreign ministry were down and that a number of banks were also having problems.
“It is connected with traffic switching on other provider for minimization of damage from the attack,” he said.
RIA Novosti, a Russian state-owned news agency, also reported the cyberattack.
It comes one week after a similar cyberattack in Ukraine.
-ABC News’ Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 10:10 am
Russian attack may come in next 2 days: Ukraine’s military to lawmakers
Ukraine’s military has briefed key members of parliament that it now believes the situation in eastern Ukraine with Russia may sharply deteriorate in the next two days, according to four sources with knowledge of what was said during the briefing.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy was present at the Wednesday night briefing, sources said, where the military said they now believe Russia may launch a major attack that would go beyond Eastern Ukraine, targeting at least two major cities. Sources said they told the members of parliament that Kyiv might also be a target — in line with U.S. officials warning that Russia is preparing a full-scale invasion that will go beyond eastern Ukraine and target Kyiv.
According to two sources, the military believes Russia may target Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city that is located around 20 miles from the border with Russia in the east, and also Kherson, a city in the south close to Crimea.
In a shift of tone Thursday, Ukraine has been taking new steps to brace for a possible attack, declaring a nationwide state of emergency and calling up 36,000 reservists. But publicly Zelenskyy’s administration has continued to say it is not certain whether Russia will attack. It has said, for now, a full-scale mobilization is not necessary, and it has not declared martial law.
-ABC News’ Yulia Drozd and Patrick Reevell
Feb 23, 9:22 am
US sanctions to be met with ‘strong response,’ Russia warns
Russia warned Wednesday that the latest sanctions imposed by the United States “will be met with a strong response.”
“The round of sanctions announced by the United States Administration [already the 101st in a row] affecting the financial sector with the expansion of the list of persons against whom personal restrictions are imposed is in line with Washington’s ongoing attempts to change Russia’s course,” the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “There should be no doubt that the sanctions will be met with a strong response, not necessarily symmetrical, but well-grounded and sensitive for the American side.”
U.S. President Joe Biden announced Tuesday the latest sanctions, which he said would target two Russian banks, Russia’s sovereign debt and, starting Wednesday, the Russian elite and their relatives.
Feb 23, 9:06 am
Russia marks Defender of the Fatherland Day
Russia marked Defender of the Fatherland Day on Wednesday.
In a video message, Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated his fellow Russians on the public holiday and noted the importance of ensuring the country’s defense capability.
“Dear comrades, today ensuring the defense capability of our country remains the most important state task, and the armed forces serve as a reliable guarantee of national security, the peaceful and calm life of our citizens, and the stable, progressive development of Russia,” Putin said.
The Russian leader was seen taking part in a wreath laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier by the Kremlin wall in Moscow.
Feb 23, 6:24 am
Ukrainian military begins calling up 36,000 reservists
Ukraine’s military said Wednesday it has begun calling up some reservists in response to an order from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The military general staff said they will be calling up reservists aged 18 to 60 starting Wednesday.
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, said Wednesday that the number of reservists being called up was 36,000, most of whom he said already have combat experience.
On Tuesday, while signing a decree to call up some of Ukraine’s military reservists, Zelenskyy emphasized that it was not yet a full mobilization but just the “active reserve,” or troops with combat training.
Zelenskyy said the order was necessary because Ukraine’s military now needs to be at “heightened readiness” for any changes in the situation on the ground with Russia.
Feb 23, 6:17 am
Ukraine to declare nationwide state of emergency
The secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, Oleksiy Danilov, announced Wednesday that a nationwide state of emergency will be declared due to the threat of a Russian invasion.
The declaration must be approved by the Ukrainian parliament before the state of emergency can go into effect for an initial 30 days. The move, which differs from the introduction of martial law, would allow local authorities across the country of 41 million people to put restrictions and heightened security measures in place, such as curfews and limits on movement.
Danilov said the state of emergency would be a “preventative” measure “so that the country preserves its calm, so that our economy works and our country works.” Any restrictions imposed under the declaration would likely vary from region to region, according to Danilov.
“Depending on situation on the ground in a particular area, the local bodies can impose various measures including curfews, only if needed,” Danilov said at a press conference Wednesday. “We won’t make people suffer unnecessarily but we must insure people’s safety.”
He then gave examples of what those restrictions could be: “It can the reinforcing of security around public order and critical infrastructure facilities. It can be certain limits imposed of the movement of transport. It can mean additional vigilance. It can be the checking of various documents for people.”
Danilov noted that the state of emergency would be imposed on all of Ukraine’s territory except for the eastern regions of Donetsk and Lugansk because a special emergency status has been in place there since 2014, when pro-Russian separatists took control of some areas.
Feb 23, 5:33 am
Ukrainian right-wing volunteer battalion mobilizes
One of Ukraine’s far-right volunteer battalions announced Wednesday it is mobilizing to prepare to fight, amid fears of an imminent Russian invasion.
During Russia’s first invasion in 2014, the Ukrainian army was in disarray, prompting civilians to form volunteer battalions — many of them with right-wing ideologies. These highly motivated private armies — some funded by oligarchs — helped stem the fall of eastern Ukraine to Russia-backed separatists.
But once large-scale fighting had ended, the Ukrainian government moved the volunteer battalions back from the front line because they were seen as potentially provocative and problematic.
The so-called Right Sector is one of Ukraine’s most famous volunteer battalions. It’s made up of radical nationalists who played a crucial role in the 2014 revolution. In Russia, the group was made into a propaganda boogeyman.
The Right Sector’s return to the front line in eastern Ukraine will be used heavily by Russian propaganda. But it also shows how worried Ukrainians are getting, especially if more volunteer battalions start mobilizing.
In a Facebook post Wednesday, Right Sector said it is mobilizing its “assault brigade” due to the “high probability of the start of a full-scale invasion by the Russian army.”
“Our unit has already defended Ukrainian independence for 8 years from the occupiers,” the group said. “In the case of a full scale invasion we, as always, will be at the front of the fight.”
Feb 23, 4:29 am
Russia claims 100,000 refugees have fled eastern Ukraine
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed Wednesday that 100,000 refugees from two Russia-backed separatist areas in eastern Ukraine have arrived across the border in Russia.
The claim was unverified and highly improbable, as it appeared to be part of Russia’s intensifying efforts to spin an image of a major humanitarian crisis in the region to build a pretext for a possible invasion.
Russia-backed separatists have forced civilians living in the areas to evacuate despite the fact that there is no increased threat from the Ukrainian military. While thousands of people have been bused out of the region to Russia, the alleged figure of 100,000 appeared vastly exaggerated.
Russia’s claims have been accompanied by a barrage of false stories and staged videos of alleged attacks by Ukrainian forces, all of which have been blaring across Russian state media in recent days.
Feb 23, 12:03 am
Russia-backed separatists make ‘terror attacks’ claim as Russia continues to build pretext
Russian-controlled separatists are claiming two large “terrorist attacks” took place in their territory Tuesday night, as the separatists and Russia continue to intensify their efforts to create a pretext for a possible Russian attack.
The separatists claimed explosions went off at a TV tower and near a trolley bus depot, and they released video afterward they claim shows emergency workers looking at damage.
The claims are highly suspect, and they came amid a barrage of fake reports of supposed Ukrainian attacks that are being swiftly debunked.
The claims also came as Ukraine released video showing heavy artillery fire from separatists hitting a village called Chastiya — which means “happiness” — on the Ukrainian side of the frontline. The video appears to show rockets striking a house.
Artillery fire also hit a power station nearby yesterday.
It appears the Russian-controlled separatists have intensified their fire onto Ukrainian positions in the hope of stoking return fire and creating an impression of a general escalation.
(ATLANTA) — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its COVID-19 vaccine guidance on Tuesday to recommend that some Americans over the age of 12 who have received a first mRNA vaccine dose, wait up to eight weeks before getting their second dose, instead of the previously recommended three to four.
Several studies suggest that an extended interval between initial dosing may help improve vaccine effectiveness and decrease the small, but potential risk of myocarditis, a rare form of heart inflammation that occurs after vaccination, the agency wrote.
Although an increased risk of myocarditis, particularly among young men, has been identified with both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, extensive data analysis over the course of the pandemic has shown that COVID-19 mRNA vaccines are overwhelmingly safe, not only in clinical trials, but also in the real world. The risk of myocarditis is also higher if you get COVID-19 itself than with the vaccine.
“mRNA COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective at the FDA-approved or FDA-authorized intervals, but a longer interval may be considered for some populations,” the agency wrote in its updated recommendations.
In particular, the CDC emphasized that young men, between the ages of 12–39 years, who may be at increased risk for myocarditis, should consider this extended time series.
“Extending the interval between the first and second mRNA vaccine dose to 8 weeks might reduce the risk [of myocarditis],” the agency wrote.
The original waiting period between the first and second dose is still recommended for immunocompromised Americans, adults over the age of 65, and those who may need more rapid protection, due to an increased risk of infection or severe disease.
Experts emphasize that at this time, there is no new safety risk associated with COVID-19 vaccines. This change in guidance is not directly relevant for the 215 million Americans who have already been fully vaccinated. Rather, it is a consideration for those who have yet to be fully vaccinated.
Experts say that Americans should talk to their doctor about potentially spacing out the dosing.
Booster doses continue to be recommended for most Americans, five months after completion of the primary mRNA series, or two months after a Johnson & Johnson single-dose vaccination.
(NEW YORK) — Dozens of stolen antiquities, including “The Kouros,” a sculpture valued at $14 million, were repatriated to Greece in a ceremony at the New York District Attorney’s office in Manhattan on Wednesday.
“After many years of wandering, they now return to their homeland where they belong,” Greek Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni said at the ceremony.
Forty-seven of the antiquities were seized from the collection of billionaire investor and philanthropist Michael Steinhardt in December 2021 after a multi-year, multi-national investigation by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office. Another eight items were seized as part of another investigation.
Steinhardt had to give up 180 stolen antiquities, which court records said were looted and illegally smuggled out of 11 countries, trafficked by 12 criminal smuggling networks and lacked verifiable provenance prior to appearing on the international art market.
“On behalf of Homeland Security Investigations, this is a major area that we enjoy investigating and that we need to investigate, and it truly is a privilege to be a part of this grand repatriation ceremony today,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Ricky Patel of Homeland Security Investigations.
The 55 pieces are collectively valued at over $20 million. In addition to “The Kouros,” which dates back to 560 BCE, the returned items include a gold broach dating back to 600 BCE that is valued at $1.3 million and a spouted bowl dating back to 2700 to 2200 BCE, valued at $600,000. They come from central Greece, Crete, the Cyclades islands, Samos and Rhodes.
One piece, a larnax — or small coffin — from Crete dating back to 1400 to 1200 BCE had been in Steinhardt’s office, according to investigators, and when asked about it, he reportedly told an Antiquities Trafficking Unit investigator, “There’s no provenance for it. If I see a piece and I like it, then I buy it.”
Other items from Steinhardt’s collection are being returned to their respective homelands.
“Today is a day of great joy for Greece because all these artifacts, all these items, could be back in the place that borne them, in Greece,” Mendoni told ABC News.
Mendoni, who called illegal trafficking a “trauma” in addition to a crime, has been in her role since 2019 and has made the repatriation of Greek antiquities a priority. This includes working to try to get the United Kingdom to return the Parthenon Marbles, which are currently at the British Museum, to Athens.
“I would like to thank, from the bottom of my heart, all the staff of the District Attorney’s Office, and of course Matthew Bogdanos for his dedication to this work,” she said Wednesday, referring to Assistant District Attorney Bogdanos, who is chief of the Antiquities Trafficking Unit and has Greek roots himself.
After the papers were formally signed to signal the repatriation, Bogdanos called out, “Madam Minister, they’re all yours.”
ABC News’ Aaron Katersky contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — After more than 30 months in detention centers, Kelvin Silva was deported last week by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to the Dominican Republic. His mother, children and siblings continue to live in the U.S.
Silva, 45, legally moved to the United States when he was 11. His father was residing in the U.S. as a naturalized citizen, and Silva became a lawful, permanent resident. He had a Social Security card and paid taxes — until an immigration judge revoked his status.
“My belief was that I was a citizen through my father,” Silva previously told ABC News.
But that was not the case. Silva, whose parents were not married, never became a U.S. citizen. At the time he immigrated, the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1940 was still the law. It barred children like Silva, whose parents were never officially married, from gaining citizenship status through their fathers.
That law was repealed by Congress in 2000, but the new legislation was not applied retroactively to people over the age of 18, which Silva was at the time.
“There’s this group of people that we maintain are unfairly being punished under the old rule,” Peter Isbister, one of Silva’s lawyers and a senior lead attorney with the Southeast Freedom Initiation at the Southern Poverty Law Center, told ABC News.
After his father died when he was a teenager, Silva said he became involved in illegal activities. He was convicted in 2013 for possession with intent to distribute marijuana and cocaine and sentenced to 127 months in federal prison. He earned his GED behind bars and completed a drug abuse program.
But two days before he was tentatively supposed to be released from the custody, ICE began his removal proceedings. That was on July 16, 2019. Since then, Silva remained in ICE custody as he continued to fight to earn his citizenship retroactively. Up until last week.
Silva, whose deportation proceedings began under former President Donald Trump, thought the Biden administration would be his “miracle.”
Just a few months after President Joe Biden was inaugurated, ICE issued an administrative stay in his case at the direction of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center. Silva remained in the U.S.
But there were several times Silva thought he would be deported. He was “toyed with” multiple times, according to Isbister. On several occasions, he was put on a bus or a plane, expecting to be deported, only to be brought back to a detention center, his attorney said.
“He was shackled the whole time,” Isbister said of these moments.
But after more than 30 months in ICE custody, Silva’s hope vanished. He was deported on Feb. 15.
Silva, who has not been to the Dominican Republic since he was 11, has no immediate family members in the country, his family says.
ICE has previously told ABC News that Silva entered the U.S. legally but violated the terms of his admission with multiple drug convictions.
The agency said Silva is “an aggravated felon who falls within the current priorities for civil immigration enforcement arrest and removal set forth by the current administration.”
People who “pose a threat to public safety” are prioritized for deportation, an ICE spokesperson said.
According to Isbister, Silva, his family, and his attorneys are all disappointed in the Biden Administration, which had the discretion to keep him in custody as his case continued to be litigated.
A spokesperson for ICE did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment on Wednesday.
“The divergence between the Biden administration’s rhetoric on racial justice and racial equity, and the positions that they took when they had a choice in this case – that’s what’s upsetting,” Isbister told ABC News.
“To have him removed in Black History Month, where with one hand the Biden administration is rightfully elevating the first black woman to the highest court in the land… and with the other hand, really not lifting a finger in the face of the Guyer rule and Kelvin’s removal,” Isbister said, referencing the 1940 law that deprived Silva of citizenship.
“When push comes to shove, the immigrant community comes out on the bottom,” Isbister said.
Despite his deportation, Silva’s attorney says he will continue to fight to be recognized as a U.S. citizen as his case is fought in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit.
(NEW YORK) — New York City will pilot a program to install platform barriers at three subway stations, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials announced Wednesday, a month after a woman died when a stranger pushed her in front of an oncoming train.
The doors, which will create a barrier between the platform and track to prevent people from falling onto the tracks, will be installed at the Times Square station along the 7 line, the Third Avenue station on the L and the Sutphin Boulevard-JFK station stop on the E, MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said on NY1’s “Mornings On 1” Wednesday.
“It’s going to take a while and we’re going to have to put the money together, which is a little complicated,” Lieber told NY1. “But our goal is to try out these technologies at different places in the system, including three stations, trying out platform doors.”
The pilot program is expected to cost more than $100 million, with the doors likely to be installed at the three locations in 2024, the MTA said. The project is scheduled to be discussed at Thursday’s MTA board meeting.
The announcement comes amid safety concerns in the nation’s largest public transit system. On Jan. 15, Michelle Go, 40, died after she was shoved in front of an oncoming train on the N/Q/R/W line inside the Times Square-42nd Street subway station in what police said was an unprovoked attack.
Following Go’s death, several city officials, including Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, called on the MTA to install the platform barriers, which are used in transit systems in cities including Paris, London and Hong Kong, as well as along the John F. Kennedy International Airport AirTrain.
Previously, the MTA had said installing platform barriers would be prohibitively expensive and complicated due to the age of the subway system. Last month, the agency released a 3,000-page report from 2020 that found that most of the city’s 472 stations can’t accommodate the protective barriers and that it would cost about $7 billion to install them at the 128 stations that could.
In recent weeks, though, Lieber said the MTA was revisiting the issue. On Wednesday, he said the MTA identified the three stations in the pilot as locations “where the engineering does work.”
Levine called the pilot program a “huge win for safety & efficiency.”
“Truly a milestone in the history of NYC’s subways. Congrats to all who fought for this,” he said on Twitter.
From January 2021 to July 2021, 37 people died after getting struck by a train, according to the MTA.
In 2021, 30 people were pushed onto the tracks, according to the New York Police Department’s public information office. So far this year, as of Jan. 23, five people have been pushed onto the tracks, the NYPD said. A further breakdown of injuries or fatalities was not available.
Among other safety measures, the MTA is looking at piloting new technologies, including thermal sensors and lasers, that would detect when someone has fallen onto the tracks, Lieber said.
The city also recently launched a subway safety plan in response to a spike in crime that involves sending more police, mental health clinicians and social service outreach workers into the subways.
(DENVER) — Colorado will become the first state to accept cryptocurrency as payment for state taxes and fees, Governor Jared Polis announced Wednesday.
Polis said the state, which was also the earliest to use blockchain technology for government infrastructure, will take the digital coin payments and deposit the equivalent value in dollars into the state’s treasury.
“In Colorado, we’ve been laying the groundwork to be a center of crypto and blockchain innovation for a number of years,” Polis said in a statement. “We see it as a critical part of Colorado’s overall innovation ecosystem.”
The announcement comes as legislators in other states, including Arizona and California, are proposing laws which, if ratified, would deem cryptocurrency an accepted form of payment statewide, not just for tax purposes.
Governor Polis has long been a vanguard in the intersecting world of cryptocurrency and politics. In 2014, he accepted Bitcoin for campaign donations during his run for the U.S. Congress following a Federal Exchange Commission ruling that went in his favor.
Although Colorado will be the first state to officially welcome cryptocurrency payments for taxes, Ohio implemented a similar program for a test run in 2018, which was ultimately deemed unsuccessful and abandoned in 2019.
Outside the U.S., El Salvador has been on a similar path for the better part of nine months. In June 2021, the country’s Legislative Assembly passed a law that made Bitcoin legal tender, allowing it to be used for everyday purchases.
Critics of accepting cryptocurrency highlight the volatility of digital currencies and inflation fears as reasons the initiative could cause economic destruction in El Salvador. In January, the International Monetary Fund called for the Central American nation to reverse its decision.
Cryptocurrency investment and interest have skyrocketed throughout the pandemic, with Bitcoin—the original digital currency—seeing gains of more than 300% between March and December 2020, only to crash down almost 45% from an all-time high in November 2021.
Polis has expressed an interest in having the state be able to process and accept cryptocurrency by the summer, although he has yet to provide a more specific timeline.
(ATLANTA) — Maternal mortality rates in the U.S. rose during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic and racial disparities that existed before the pandemic were perpetuated, according to a new report published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The report looked at data from the CDC’s National Centers for Health Statistics and compared 2020 rates to rates in 2018 and 2019.
Maternal deaths were defined as women who died either while pregnant or within 42 days of the end of pregnancy.
In 2020, 861 women in the U.S. died of maternal causes — a rate of 23.8 per 100,000 live births, the report found.
This is an increase of 14% from the 754 deaths that occurred in 2019 and up 30% from the 658 deaths that occurred in 2018. In 2019, the rate was 20.1 deaths per 100,000 and even lower in 2018 at 17.4 per 100,000.
The reasons for the increase during the first year of the pandemic were not stated in the report, although the author said the virus likely played a role.
Racial disparities continue
There were large disparities when it came to race and ethnicity. The report found that Black women died of maternal causes at nearly three times the rate of white women, up from around 2.5 times higher than in 2019.
The rate for Black women was 55.3 deaths per 100,000 in 2020 and the rate for white women was 19.1 deaths per 100,000. For black women, the rate increased nearly 26% from the year prior.
Black women also died at higher rates than Hispanic women, who had a rate of 18.2 deaths per 100,000 births in 2020 — a more than 40% increase from the previous year.
What’s more, increases from 2019 to 2020 among Black women and Hispanic women were statistically significant while the increase over the same time period for white women was not viewed as significant, the report said.
The report also looked at maternal mortality rates by age and found that the rates increased as women’s ages did.
The lowest rate was for women under age 25 at 13.8 deaths per 100,000 live births and the highest rate was for women aged 40 and over at 107.9 per 100,000 births, about 7.8 times higher. Older mothers also experienced an increase in mortality that was statistically significant, according to the CDC.
Several studies have found that women who become pregnant after age 35 are considered “high-risk” because they are at an increased risk for complications impacting either the baby or mom including premature birth, excessive bleeding during birth and eclampsia..
Dr. Donna Hoyert, a health scientist in the NCHS’s Division of Vital Statistics and author of the report, said this is likely one of the reasons for the higher mortality rates among older women.
“That and there are a smaller number of individuals who are at the end of reproductive ages, so the statistics become much more variable from year to year,” she told ABC News.
COVID-19 ‘likely’ contributed to rise
The report did not offer theories for why maternal mortality rates rose in 2020, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, previous studies have shown that pregnant women are at increased risk of severe complications and death from COVID compared to the general population.
It could also help explain the higher rates among Black women, with Black Americans more likely to suffer from severe effects of the virus than the white population.
“Yes, the pandemic likely contributed to the increase from 2019 to 2020 and beyond that,” Hoyert said. “As the pandemic plays out, we want to see how it affects overall mortality rates and our trend of comparable data over time.”
She continued, “There’s been other studies that have come out further documenting continuing morality from COVID-19 and excess mortality associated with that, so it will be something to look into.”
(CHICAGO) — The family of Irene Chavez – a woman who died in Chicago police custody last December after an apparent suicide – filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the city and several police officers.
“What we know is Irene Chavez died in the care and custody of the Chicago police. The officers knew Irene had mental health challenges,” Andrew Stroth, the family’s attorney, said at a press conference on Tuesday.
Stroth referenced a video of Chavez released last week by the Chicago’s Civilian Office of Police Accountability, where Chavez is seen arguing with arresting officers and telling them that she is a military veteran who suffers from PTSD.
Those details are also documented in a police incident report released by COPA.
“CPD officers ignored this information and failed to modify standard arrest procedures to accommodate Irene’s mental health needs,” the lawsuit, which was obtained by ABC News, alleges.
“Not only did CPD officers refuse to accommodate Irene’s disability during the arrest, but they intentionally escalated the situation by mocking Irene and her friend, and using foul, aggressive language,” the lawsuit says.
The Chicago Police Department told ABC News that it does not comment on pending litigation and has referred all questions about the case to COPA.
The City of Chicago’s Law Department did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment but told the ABC station in Chicago, WLS, on Tuesday that “The City has not yet been served with a complaint and will have no further comment as the matter is now in litigation.”
The documents and videos related to the death of Chavez were released as part of an investigation by the civilian oversight agency looking into Chavez’s death.
Body camera video released by COPA shows Chavez arguing while being arrested hours before her death.
According to police, the 33-year-old woman died after an “attempted suicide” on Dec. 18, 2021, at the 3rd District Police Station. The official cause and manner of death are pending autopsy results, the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office told ABC News.
Police said Chavez was taken into custody after her involvement in a bar fight at the Jeffery Pub Tavern and was belligerent during processing.
Chavez could be heard by police shouting in the holding cell, the report by COPA said. After about five minutes of silence, an officer went to check on her well-being by looking through the window, the report said. That’s when Chavez was found with her shirt wrapped around her neck, tied to a bench and had a “faint pulse,” according to the report.
Video released by COPA shows officers performing CPR before Chavez was transported to the University of Chicago Hospital. According to COPA, Chavez was in “critical condition” at the time and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Iris Chavez, Irene’s sister, accused police of neglect and said officers should have recognized that her sister was struggling with mental health.
“[I’m] Looking at the video and saying to myself, why aren’t they doing this instead? Why didn’t they do this? Or why is he talking to her like that?” Iris Chavez said.
According to the lawsuit, Irene Chavez was a “queer Afro-Latina” woman from Chicago and was a “decorated military veteran” who served in combat zones.
“After her honorable discharge from the military, Irene developed serious post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) and struggled with alcohol dependency,” the lawsuit says.
According to the lawsuit, Chavez was “in the midst of a mental health crisis” when she was arrested and had relapsed to drinking that day after being sober for a month.
“Both Irene and her friend repeatedly told CPD officers that Irene was a veteran, that she had PTSD, and that she needed hospitalization,” the lawsuit says.
Irene Chavez is one of two women to die in Chicago police custody within less than two months.
COPA is also investigating the death of London Marquez, 31, who died on Jan. 27. According to Marquez’s family, she was pregnant at the time of her death.
Chicago police declined to comment on that case and referred questions regarding both cases to COPA.
