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On Thursday morning in Kiev (Wednesday night in Brazil), Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” to “protect the people of Donbass”. The invasion of Ukraine has begun.
We explain below what is known so far about her. Keep up with war updates on here.
What is the source of the conflict? Four months ago, the alert was sounded with Ukraine denouncing the movement of Russian troops on its border. Since then, the crisis has escalated, and several diplomatic initiatives have been taken.
At Monday (21)Putin recognized two self-proclaimed breakaway republics in eastern Ukraine.
- The Russian announced the deployment of troops to the region, consolidating in Western eyes the threat of invasion of the neighbor – on the Moscow side, with the new status of the provinces, there would be no invasion, but a mission of peace and support for ethnic Russians who live there. ;
- In a speech, the president belittled Kiev’s independence, saying the notion of Ukraine as a state is a myth — history tells otherwise. This Wednesday, still without soldiers officially in Donetsk and Lugansk, Putin said he was willing to negotiate, but that his interests are non-negotiable.
The scenario changed at 5:45 am this Thursday in Moscow (23:45 on Wednesday, 23, in Brasília), when he made a statement – while the UN debated the crisis.
- He announced a “special military operation” to “protect the population of Donbass” and said he wanted to “demilitarize and denazify” Ukraine;
- The military command of the rebel republics says it is advancing with Russian support towards the borders they consider their own, thus violating Ukrainian territory that was under Kiev.
O name of it is waralthough not total invasion, reports the envoy to Moscow, Igor Gielow.
What do we know:
There are clear signs of a wide-ranging attack, but it’s unclear whether it’s a full-scale invasion in Kiev and the West’s terms. For Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastirski, there is no doubt. “The invasion of Ukraine has begun.” The country has been in a state of emergency since Wednesday.
Explosions are heard in several parts of the country. There were reports from Kiev, later denied by the government, of Russian forces landing in Odessa, a major port on the Black Sea. In the city, according to the Ukrainian government, at least six people died in missile attacks.
TVs showed tanks reportedly invading the country’s north from Belarus, without independent confirmation. On the other hand, Moscow said Ukrainian forces “are not resisting Russian units”, without saying where. The downing of five Russian planes and a helicopter was also reported, which Moscow denies.
What are the reactions? After the first advance, still in the second, the West ran to show signs of strength.
Now, Joe Biden has said the country “will be held accountable”, despite only promising even tougher sanctions in the event of Putin’s armed action. A Third World War does not seem likely because Biden himself has already said that NATO would not intervene militarily, but the risks are all posed.
Russian answer: Putin has already issued his warning: “To anyone considering interfering from the outside: if you do, you will face consequences greater than any you have faced in history. All relevant decisions have been made, I hope you will listen to me.”
the week in the world in 8 topics
North America
Europe
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Africa
- Seven children died and five were injured in a Nigerian army airstrike in the Maradi region of southern Niger; The country’s authorities accused the neighbor of having made a mistake.
South America
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