Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered a “special military operation” in eastern Ukraine, in what could be the long-feared beginning of war in Europe.
“The situation requires us to take decisive, swift action,” he said in a televised early morning speech Thursday as he authorized troops to enter Ukraine’s Donbas region.
Putin said the action comes in response to threats coming from Ukraine, yet insisted Russia doesn’t have a goal to occupy the country.
He said the responsibility for bloodshed lies with the Ukrainian “regime,” telling fighters there to lay down their arms and surrender, though he admitted clashes between Russian and Ukrainian forces are “inevitable” and “only a question of time.”
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Russia says rebels need help in possible war pretext as Ukraine president pleads for peace
The Russian leader warned other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.”
During Putin’s announcement, reporters on the ground in eastern Ukraine — including the separatist regions of Donetsk and Luhansk — said they could hear explosions nearby.
A Reuters reporter later heard a series of distant loud noises similar to the firing of artillery in Kyiv, while local media reported gunfire was heard near the capital’s airport.
Russia’s move came as the United Nations Security Council held an emergency meeting, where U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged Putin to “give peace a chance” and stop troops from entering Ukraine.
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U.S. President Joe Biden denounced the “unprovoked and unjustified” attack on Ukraine and said the world will “hold Russia accountable.”
The prospect of war in Ukraine grew louder on Monday after Putin recognized the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk, sanctioned the deployment of troops to the rebel territories and received parliamentary approval to use military force outside the country. The West responded with sanctions.
The Kremlin on Wednesday said rebel chiefs in those regions had requested military help from Russia to counter Ukrainian “aggression.”
A short time later, the Ukrainian president rejected Moscow’s claims that his country poses a threat to Russia and said a Russian invasion would cost tens of thousands of lives.
“The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace,” President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an emotional overnight address to his nation in Russian. “But 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.”
Zelenskyy said he asked to arrange a call with Russian President Vladimir Putin late Wednesday, but the Kremlin did not respond.
U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Antony Blinken, had warned Wednesday night that they expected Russia to mount an invasion into Ukraine overnight, but were still holding out hope for a diplomatic solution to the unfolding crisis.
–With files from the Associated Press
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