MOSCOW, Russia (Washington Insider Magazine) – Russian President Vladimir Putin began a military exercise in Ukraine on Thursday, warning that any effort by other nations to meddle would result in “consequences you have never seen.”
He claimed that the strike was necessary to defend people in eastern Ukraine, a justification that the US had warned he would use to legitimize an invasion.
Putin blasted the U.S. and its nato allies for neglecting Russia’s request to stop Ukraine from eventually joining NATO and providing Moscow with security assurances in a televised speech. He stated that Russia does not want to occupy Ukraine, but rather would work to demilitarize the country and bring those responsible to trial.
Loud explosions were audible in Odessa, Kharkiv, Kyiv and other places around Ukraine as Putin spoke before daybreak, according to ABC NEWS.
In a written address, U.S. President Joe Biden criticized Russia’s provocative and unjustifiable aggression on Ukraine, promising that the US and its NATO allies will hold Putin responsible. After a session of the G-7 leaders on Thursday, Biden stated he planned to talk to Americans. On Thursday, more penalties on Russia are anticipated to be revealed.
A full-fledged Russian invasion would likely result in catastrophic bloodshed and the overthrow of Ukraine’s elected government. And the conflict’s ramifications, including the sanctions imposed on Russia, might echo around the world, impacting European energy supply, jolting the global financial system, and jeopardizing the continent’s post-Cold War equilibrium.
Putin delivered a stern warning to foreign countries not to interfere as he launched the military assault.
Putin ordered Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their weapons and return home immediately.
Putin declared the military action after the Kremlin claimed separatists in eastern Ukraine had requested military support from Russia to try to fend off Ukrainian “aggression,” a declaration that the White House called a “false flag” operation by Russia to provide a rationale for an invasion.
Putin’s declaration came only hours after Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych dismissed Moscow’s assertions that his nation is a security danger and made an emotional, last-minute call for peace.
In an obvious allusion to Putin’s decision to sanction the operation of Russian military forces in eastern Ukraine to keep the peace, Zelensky cautioned that this action might lead to a major conflict on the European continent.
Anxiety over a possible Russian attack grew when Putin acknowledged the rebel areas’ independence on Monday, authorized army mobilization to the separatist territory, and secured parliamentary authority to use military action outside the nation. Sanctions were levied by the West.
