(NEW YORK) — Russia announced early Thursday that military operations have begun in Ukraine, kicking off a long-feared attack on its ex-Soviet neighbor.
After weeks of escalating tensions in the region, Ukraine took steps to brace for a possible Russian invasion, declaring a nationwide state of emergency and calling up 36,000 military reservists. Meanwhile, a number of nations around the world, including the United States, have announced economic sanctions against Russia.
Thursday’s attack followed a fiery, hour-long speech from Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier in the week, 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. In the days leading up to the invasion, U.S. officials estimated that some 190,000 Russian troops and pro-Russian separatist forces were massed near Ukraine’s borders.
Russia has blamed Ukraine for stoking the crisis and reiterated its demands to NATO that Ukraine pledges to never join the transatlantic defense alliance. While the full scope of the military operations was unclear, Putin said in a televised address early Thursday that his “plans do not not include the occupation of Ukrainian territories,” but he also warned outside countries not to interfere.
Here’s how the news is developing Thursday. All times Eastern:
Feb 24, 6:04 am
Russia tells Ukraine it’s ‘never been an enemy’
Russia’s parliament speaker claimed Thursday that the “sole purpose” of the country’s invasion of Ukraine “is to secure peace,” saying “Russia has never been an enemy.”
“I am calling on Ukrainian citizens: We have always deemed you to be a fraternal people. The sole purpose of what our country is doing is to secure peace,” State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin said in a statement. “We are asking you to step aside and do not take part in any mobilization campaigns proposed by the Kyiv authorities. They are not independent, all orders come from Washington and Brussels.”
Volodin also urged Ukrainian Armed Forces to lay down their weapons, saying the orders given from Kyiv are criminal and serve the interests of NATO and the United States. He noted that Russia and Ukraine share history, culture and religion.
Feb 24, 5:41 am
Russia attacking Ukraine from north, east, south, Zelenskyy says
Russian forces are attacking Ukraine “from the north, east and south,” according to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“Our soldiers are heavily fighting, the aggressor suffered heavy losses,” Zelenskyy said in an address to the Ukrainian public from Kyiv on Thursday morning. “We have wounded soldiers.”
He added that the Ukrainian military “is giving and will give weapons to everyone who is able to defend out country.”
The Ukrainian president also announced that his country has “cut diplomatic ties with Russia.”
“Ukraine is defending its freedom,” he said. “Citizens of Russia will choose today their own way. Time for you to come out and protest this war with Ukraine.”
Just hours before Russia launched the early morning invasion of its ex-Soviet neighbor, a senior Pentagon official told ABC News: “You are likely in the last few hours of peace on the European continent for a long time to come. Be careful.”
Feb 24, 4:49 am
Three Ukrainian border guards are first reported deaths from Russian attack
At least three Ukrainian border guards were killed near the southern port city of Skadovsk on Thursday morning after a commandant’s headquarters was shelled by a Russian helicopter, according to Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service.
They are the first reported deaths after Russia launched military operations in Ukraine early Thursday.
An unknown number of personnel were also wounded, Ukraine’s State Border Guard Service said in a statement on its official Facebook page, noting that the border guards in the area were still fighting.
Feb 24, 3:26 am
EU urges Russia to ‘immediately cease’ attack on Ukraine
Leaders of the European Union are urging Russia to “immediately cease” its attack on Ukraine, saying “such use of force and coercion has no place in the 21st century.”
“We condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia’s unprecedented military aggression against Ukraine,” European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said in a joint statement Thursday. “By its unprovoked and unjustified military actions, Russia is grossly violating international law and undermining European and global security and stability. We call on Russia to immediately cease the hostilities, withdraw its military from Ukraine and fully respect Ukraine’s territorial integrity, sovereignty and independence.”
They noted that EU leaders will meet later Thursday “to discuss the crisis and further restrictive measures that will impose massive and severe consequences on Russia for its action.” They said von der Leyen “will outline a further sanctions package being finalized by the European Commission and which the Council will swiftly adopt.”
In on-camera statements Thursday, the EU’s top diplomat, Josep Borrell, pledged to “adopt a stronger package, the harshest package of sanctions we have ever implemented.”
Von der Leyen added that the EU “will not let President Putin tear down the security architecture that has given Europe peace and stability over the past decades.”
“Ukraine will prevail,” she said.
Feb 24, 2:41 am
Pro-Russian separatists claim to be taking territories in eastern Ukraine
Russia-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas region claimed Thursday that their forces are taking over Ukrainian government-controlled territories amid a Russian invasion.
Ivan Filiponenko, a representative of the military department of the self-proclaimed Luhansk People’s Republic, said in a statement that militia units have begun “artillery preparation and an operation to liberate the temporarily occupied territories.”
Meanwhile, Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, told Russia’s Interfax news agency that “forces are delivering strikes on positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces along the entire line of contact, using all weapons that are available to them.”
Separatist leaders want to control all of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions in Donbas. But they currently only have about a third, with the rest controlled by Ukraine.
Feb 24, 2:03 am
Russia claims to have neutralized some of Ukraine’s military infrastructure
Russia claimed Thursday to have neutralized some of Ukraine’s military infrastructure amid an attack on the country.
“The military infrastructure of air bases of Ukraine’s Armed Forces has been rendered inoperable,” the Russian Ministry of Defense said in a statement. “Air defense systems of the Ukrainian Armed Forces have been suppressed.”
The Russian defense ministry further alleged that Ukrainian forces on the border “are offering no resistance to Russian units.”
Meanwhile, a statement from the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that five Russian planes and a helicopter had been shot down.
“Reports of foreign media on a Russian aircraft allegedly downed on the Ukrainian territory have nothing to do with the reality,” the Russian defense ministry said Thursday.
ABC News could not independently verify the claims on either side.
Feb 24, 1:28 am
State Department suspends consular operations in Lviv
In a new security alert, the State Department said it has suspended its consular operations in Lviv in western Ukraine amid “reports of Russian attacks on targets in a number of major Ukrainian cities, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odesa, Mariupol and others.”
The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv previously suspended operations on Feb. 12.
“The U.S. government will not be able to evacuate U.S. citizens from Ukraine,” the warning stated.
The State Department advised U.S. citizens to shelter in place and issued instructions on actions to take if a loud explosion is heard or if sirens are activated.
“Further Russian military action can occur at any time without warning. U.S. citizens throughout Ukraine are strongly encouraged to remain vigilant and take appropriate steps to increase their security awareness,” the warning read. “Know the location of your closest shelter or protected space. In the event of mortar and/or rocket fire, follow the instructions from local authorities and seek shelter immediately. If you feel that your current location is no longer safe, you should carefully assess the potential risks involved in moving to a different location.”
Feb 24, 1:11 am
Russian, Belarusian troops attacking Ukraine from Belarus
Ukraine’s border service said Russian and Belarusian troops are now attacking from Belarus.
Ukraine’s border came under attack from artillery, tanks and small arms around 5 a.m. local time from Russian troops “with the support of Belarus,” the border service said in a statement.
The attack is happening along much of Ukraine’s northeast border, including the Chernigiv and Zhitomirsky regions that are directly north of Kyiv.
There are reports of casualties.
Feb 24, 1:00 am
Ukrainian president declares martial law
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared martial law in the country Thursday, saying Russia has launched an “unjustified, false and cynical invasion.”
“There are strikes on military and other important defense facilities, attacked border units, the situation in the Donbas has degraded,” Zelenskyy said in a statement Thursday morning. “The Armed Forces, all special and law enforcement agencies of the state are on alert. The National Security and Defense Council is working in an emergency mode.”
“Civilian citizens of Ukraine should stay at home,” he added. “Warn your loved ones about what is happening. Take care of those who need help. All thoughts and prayers with our soldiers.”
Martial law allows military authorities to temporarily take over government functions, generally during a time of emergency.
The announcement came as reports of explosions and air raid sirens in cities across Ukraine rolled in and as Russian-controlled separatists, in a breakaway region of eastern Ukraine known as Donbas, say they have launched a full-scale offensive to retake what they claim is their territory there.
Feb 24, 12:44 am
Zelenskyy asks for global response, talks to Biden
In a new video statement denouncing the Russian attacks on his country, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it’s not only the fate of Ukraine that’s being decided.
“Ukrainians will never give their freedom and independence to anyone. Only we, all citizens of Ukraine, have been determining our future since 1991,” Zelenskyy said. “But now the fate of not only our state is being decided, but also what life in Europe will be like.”
The Ukrainian president stressed the need for a global response, stating that what remains of international law “depends on the world’s honest and just response to this aggression.”
President Joe Biden and Zelenskyy spoke over the phone around midnight ET, when Zelenskyy asked Biden to “call on the leaders of the world to speak out clearly against President Putin’s flagrant aggression and to stand with the people of Ukraine,” Biden said in a statement.
Biden said he told Zelenskyy that the U.S. condemned the attack, and he also briefed him on the steps the U.S. is taking “to rally international condemnation.”
Biden also reiterated in the statement that he will meet with G-7 leaders Thursday and plans to impose “severe” sanctions on Russia.
“We will continue to provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people,” he said.
In the video, Zelenskyy implored citizens to stay home.
“Warn your loved ones about what is happening,” he said. “Take care of those who need help.”
Feb 24, 12:11 am
US senators call for harsher sanctions following Russian attack
Senators on both sides of the aisle are calling on the administration to turn up the pressure on Russia following its attack on Ukraine.
“President Biden has already imposed an initial tranche of sanctions, and it is now time for us to up the pain level for the Russian government,” Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Mark Warner, D-Va., said in a statement.
“I urge the Biden administration to respond swiftly and in concert with our allies to impose crushing economic sanctions on Kremlin officials, Russian entities and other actors involved int his attack on Ukraine,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., said.
“America and our allies must answer the call to protect freedom by subjecting Putin and Russia to the harshest economic penalties, by expelling them from global institutions, and by committing ourselves to the expansion and modernization of our national defense,” Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, said.
While a handful of Republicans knocked the administration for not imposing pre-invasion sanctions, those jabs are largely being overwhelmed by calls for unity among NATO allies.
“There is no justification for this assault and I call for the administration to lead the world in a unified response,” Ohio Republican Sen. Rob Portman said.
Feb 24, 12:00 am
Reports of Russian troops crossing border into Ukraine, ballistic missiles
There are reports that Russian troops have now crossed the border in eastern Ukraine, close to the city of Kharkiv, as explosions in the area continue.
Ukraine’s deputy interior minister, Anton Gerashchenko, told media the troops crossed near Kharkiv. A former senior adviser to Ukraine’s government also confirmed the reports, saying he was informed by the president’s office, while Ukraine’s main newswire agency, UNIAN, has also reported the news.
Kharkiv is Ukraine’s second largest city and is only about 20 miles from the border with Russia. However, it is not next to the separatist-controlled areas.
Ukrainian authorities also said that Kyiv and multiple cities east of it have been stuck by ballistic missiles. Gerashchenko said at least seven cruise missiles or ballistic missiles hit a military aerodrome near Kyiv that is home to fighter jets. It appears that the missiles have largely struck targets on the outskirts of the city so far.
Russia’s defense ministry said it is striking Ukrainian air bases, military infrastructure and air defenses across the country but said it will not target Ukrainian cities themselves.
The ministry said “high-precision” missiles are being used.
Reports of explosions also continue to come in from Odessa, Dnipro and Mariupol.
(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.
(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) — 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, 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) — President Joe Biden said the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” after weeks of escalating tensions in the region as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
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 (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands Tuesday that Ukraine pledge to never join NATO.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
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) — President Joe Biden said the world is witnessing “the beginning of a Russian invasion of Ukraine” after weeks of escalating tensions in the region as he announced new economic sanctions on Russia Tuesday.
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 (DNR and LNR) — prompting a set of sanctions from Western countries, including Germany halting approval of a major gas pipeline from Russia.
While the U.S. says some 190,000 Russian troops and separatist forces are estimated to be massed near Ukraine’s borders, Russia has denied any wrongdoing and reiterated its demands Tuesday that Ukraine pledge to never join NATO.
Here’s how the news is developing Wednesday. All times Eastern:
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, 4:43 am
Ukrainian military begins calling up some 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.
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 changes in the situation on the ground with Russia.
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) — The world will soon experience a steep increase in the number of devastating wildfires as a result of human activity, according to new research released by the United Nations Environment Programme.
Climate change and land-use change are projected to make wildfires more frequent and intense, with extreme fires expected to rise 14% globally by 2030, 30% by the end of 2050 and 50% by 2100, according to the report released Wednesday.
“Wildfires and climate change are mutually exacerbating,” the report states.
Wildfires are made worst by climate change through increased drought, higher temperatures and low relative humidity, while climate change is made worse by wildfires after they ravage “sensitive and carbon-rich” ecosystems such as rainforests.
“This turns landscapes into tinderboxes, making it harder to halt rising temperatures,” the authors wrote.
Extreme wildfire risk will become so widespread that even the Arctic and other regions previously unaffected by wildfires could be in peril of burning, according to the report. In addition, wildlife and their natural habitats will not be spared, pushing many species closer to extinction.
For instance, billions of domesticated and wild animals, including a large portion of the koala population, were estimated to have been wiped out during the bushfires that began in Australia at the end of 2019.
The increase of wildfires will also have social consequences on communities, as the world’s poorest nations will be disproportionately affected, according to the U.N. People’s health will be directly affected by the inhalation of wildfire smoke, and the costs of rebuilding areas struck by wildfires can be beyond the means of low-income countries.
The pollutants from frequent wildfires can also lead to soil erosion, causing more problems for waterways, and leave highly contaminated waste behind, the report states.
Governments are not prepared for the disastrous consequences these infernos will leave in their wake, the authors wrote.
The report calls for a radical change in government spending on wildfires, shifting their investments from reaction and response to prevention and preparedness.
“Because fires are so interdisciplinary and across so many different sectors and impact society, culture and climate and the vegetation, it’s essential that fire [management] actually be pushed within an agenda,” Glynis Humphrey, a fire ecologist at the University of Capetown and one of the authors of the report, told reporters at a press conference Monday.
Governments should adopt a new “Fire Ready Formula,” dedicating two-thirds of spending for planning, prevention, preparedness and recovery, with one-third left for response, the authors wrote.
The report also calls for stronger international standards for the safety and health of firefighters to minimize the risks they face before, during and after operations.
(COPENHAGEN, Denmark) — Duchess Kate arrived in Denmark Tuesday for a rare solo overseas trip and wasted no time showing her fun side.
Kate, 40, whizzed down a slide while visiting the Lego Foundation PlayLab at University College Copenhagen.
“In the spirit of where I am, I had to do it,” a laughing Kate said after she emerged from the slide.
Kate’s visit to Denmark, her second official visit there as a royal and her first overseas tour since 2019, is focused on children and specifically young children ages 5 and under.
The duchess, a mom of three young kids, is touring the country to learn more about how Denmark has become a model for early childhood development, according to Kensington Palace.
Kate has made early childhood development a focus of her royal work. In 2021, she launched the Royal Foundation Center for Early Childhood, which she said is designed to “raise awareness of why the first five years of life are just so important for our future life outcomes, and what we can do as a society to embrace this golden opportunity to create a happier, more mentally healthy, more nurturing society.”
Kate’s trip to Denmark marks the first time she has brought the work of the Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood “to the international stage,” according to Kensington Palace.
In addition to visiting the Lego Foundation PlayLab, Kate spent time Tuesday with first-time parents and researchers from the Copenhagen Infant Mental Health Project at the University of Copenhagen and visited the Copenhagen’s Children’s Museum.
Kate’s two-day trip to Denmark is also a chance for the future queen consort to highlight the ties between Britain and Denmark.
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth is celebrating her Platinum Jubilee this year, while Denmark’s Queen Margrethe is celebrating her Golden Jubilee. The two monarchs have both recently been touched by COVID-19, with Queen Margrethe now recovered from a mild case of the virus and Queen Elizabeth currently experiencing “mild, cold-like” symptoms after recently testing positive for the virus, according to Buckingham Palace.
On Wednesday, Kate will receive an official welcome to Denmark from Queen Margrethe and will join the queen’s daughter-in-law, Crown Princess Mary, in a visit to a project that supports women and children affected by domestic violence.
