{"id":26322,"date":"2022-02-24T03:16:30","date_gmt":"2022-02-24T03:16:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/uncategorized\/2022\/02\/24\/russias-putin-announces-military-operation-in-ukraine\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T06:07:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T06:07:33","slug":"russias-putin-announces-military-operation-in-ukraine","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/navytimes\/flashpoints\/2022\/02\/24\/russias-putin-announces-military-operation-in-ukraine\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia attacks Ukraine as defiant Putin warns US, NATO"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The latest on the Russian attack on Ukraine:<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian troops launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine on Thursday, as President Vladimir Putin cast aside international condemnation and sanctions, warning other countries that any attempt to interfere would lead to \u201cconsequences you have never seen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Big explosions were heard before dawn in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Odessa as world leaders decried the start of a Russian invasion that could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine\u2019s democratically elected government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine\u2019s border guard agency reported that the Russian military attacked the country from neighboring Belarus<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agency said the Russian troops unleashed artillery barrage as part of an attack backed by Belarus. They said the Ukrainian border guards were firing back, adding that there was no immediate report of casualties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Russian troops had deployed to its ally Belarus for military drills, a move that the West saw as a prelude to an invasion of Ukraine. The Ukrainian capital of Kyiv is about 75 kilometers (50 miles) south of the border with Belarus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the morning proceeded in Ukraine, the Russian military said it had knocked out Ukraine\u2019s air defense assets and airbases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Russian Defense Ministry said the Russian strikes have \u201csuppressed air defense means of the Ukrainian military,\u201d adding that the infrastructure of Ukraine\u2019s military bases has been incapacitated.\u201d It denied the claims that a Russian warplane was shot down over Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian military, meanwhile, reported that it has shot down five Russian aircraft while fending off the Russian attack on the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The websites of Ukraine\u2019s defense, foreign and interior ministries were unreachable or painfully slow to load Thursday morning after a punishing wave of distributed-denial-of-service attacks as Russia struck at its neighbor, explosions shaking the capital of Kyiv and other major cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition to DDoS attacks on Wednesday, cybersecurity researchers said unidentified attackers had infected hundreds of computers with destructive malware, some in neighboring Latvia and Lithuania.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

U.S. President Joe Biden pledged new sanctions meant to punish Russia for an act of aggression that the international community had for weeks anticipated but could not prevent through diplomacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin justified it all in a televised address, asserting the attack was needed to protect civilians in eastern Ukraine \u2014 a false claim the U.S. had predicted he would make as a pretext for an invasion. He accused the U.S. and its allies of ignoring Russia\u2019s demand to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO and offer Moscow security guarantees, and credulously claimed that Russia doesn\u2019t intend to occupy Ukraine but will move to \u201cdemilitarize\u201d it and bring those who committed crimes to justice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a written statement Wednesday night, President Joe Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin would be held accountable for \u201ccatastrophic loss of life and human suffering.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe prayers of the entire world are with the people of Ukraine as they suffer an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces,\u201d Biden said in his message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPresident Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering,\u201d said Biden. \u201cRussia 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe world will hold Russia accountable,\u201d he said. \u201cI will be monitoring the situation from the White House this evening and will continue to get regular updates from my national security team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Biden said that he would meet Thursday \u201cwith my G7 counterparts in the morning and then speak to the American people to announce the further consequences the United States and our Allies and partners will impose on Russia for this needless act of aggression against Ukraine and global peace and security. We will also coordinate with our NATO Allies to ensure a strong, united response that deters any aggression against the Alliance. Tonight, Jill and I are praying for the brave and proud people of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Pentagon declined comment Wednesday night after the attacks began, deferring to statements press secretary John Kirby made at an earlier briefing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe believe that they are now at a state of readiness where they could attack at any time,\u201d Kirby said of the more than 150,000 Russian troops amassed around Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The United Nations Security Council quickly scheduled an emergency meeting Wednesday night<\/a> at Ukraine\u2019s request.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the meeting, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urgently appealed to Putin: \u201cin the name of humanity, bring your troops back to Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But during that meeting, Putin announced he was launching a \u201cspecial military operation\u201d into eastern Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Guterres later urged the Russian president to withdraw his troops and added: \u201cIn the name of humanity do not allow to start in Europe what could be the worst war since the beginning of the century, with consequences not only devastating for Ukraine, not only tragic for the Russian Federation, but with an impact we cannot even foresee in relation to the consequences for the global economy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Russian troops attacked Ukraine, world leaders reacted Thursday with outrage \u2014 one called it \u201can unjustified barbarian act\u201d \u2014 and vowed to both tighten sanctions and hold the Kremlin accountable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The turmoil from the beginning of a long-feared act of aggression rippled from Europe to Asia. Stock markets plunged, oil prices surged, and European aviation officials warned of a high risk to civilian aircraft over Ukraine, reminding air operators that \u201cthis is now an active conflict zone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the Russian offensive continued, but a fog of war left many questions unanswered Thursday, Ukrainian leaders were decidedly defiant despite facing a pronounced military disadvantage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPutin has just launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine,\u201d Ukraine Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet. \u201cPeaceful Ukrainian cities are under strikes. This is a war of aggression. Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin. The time to act is now.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A full-blown Russian invasion could cause massive casualties and topple Ukraine\u2019s democratically elected government. And the consequences of the conflict and resulting sanctions levied on Russia could reverberate throughout the world, affecting energy supplies in Europe, jolting global financial markets and threatening the post-Cold War balance on the continent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin announced the military operation after the Kremlin said rebels in eastern Ukraine asked Russia for military assistance to help fend off Ukrainian \u201caggression.\u201d The announcement immediately fueled fears that Moscow was offering up a pretext for war, just as the West had warned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Putin said he had decided to conduct a \u201cspecial military operation to protect Donbass.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He called on the Ukrainian military to \u201cimmediately lay down their arms and go home\u201d and added that \u201cRussia\u2019s plans do not include the occupation of Ukraine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe will strive for the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A short time later, the Ukrainian president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, rejected Moscow\u2019s claims that his country poses a threat to Russia and said a Russian invasion would cost tens of thousands of lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
People wave a huge Ukrainian national flag during an action in support of country in Kramatorsk, Ukraine, Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. (Andriy Andriyenko\/AP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,\u201d President Zelenskyy said in an emotional overnight address, speaking in Russian in a direct appeal to Russian citizens. \u201cBut if we come under attack, if we face an attempt to take away our country, our freedom, our lives and lives of our children, we will defend ourselves. When you attack us, you will see our faces, not our backs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zelenskyy said he asked to arrange a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin late Wednesday, but the Kremlin did not respond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an apparent reference to Putin\u2019s move to authorize the deployment of the Russian military to \u201cmaintain peace\u201d in eastern Ukraine, Zelensky warned that \u201cthis step could mark the start of a big war on the European continent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAny provocation, any spark could trigger a blaze that will destroy everything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\t