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Continue reading...Category Archives: Russia
Last piece of Putin’s puzzle slots into place: preparing Russians for war
Analysis: Just as Russian armour and helicopters are edging up the border, Russian messaging is also advancing to the brink
The omens of impending war we were warned about now seem to be lining up like the horsemen of the apocalypse.
The field hospitals have been set near the border, blood banks have reportedly been brought in. On the information war front, a dossier of alleged Ukraine war crimes circulated at the UN security council, and a video popped up purporting to show an attempted Ukrainian attack on chlorine tanks in the Donbas.
Continue reading...Ukraine crisis: Biden ‘convinced’ Russia plans invasion but diplomacy still possible – live
Russian state media say a blast has occurred in Donetsk amid multiple US warnings of false flag incidents
- British embassy to relocate to Lviv ‘temporarily’ – Foreign Office
- Pro-Russian separatists order mass evacuation of eastern Ukraine
- Russia has amassed up to 190,000 troops on Ukraine borders, US warns
- Last piece of Putin’s puzzle slots into place: preparing Russians for war
Sam Jones here, taking over from Samantha Lock.
One of today’s main events will be the Munich security conference, where world leaders including US vice-president Kamala Harris, Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy, and the German chancellor, Olaf Scholz, will gather to discuss the crisis.
It’s tragic and we’ll see terrible scenes unfolding. You would expect that President Putin – who obviously can’t be taken at his word – is manufacturing some sort of trigger, or is in the process of executing the final stages of his plan to go into Ukraine.
(Via Australian Associated Press)
Continue reading...Ukraine crisis: Blinken and Lavrov agree to meeting as tensions reach ‘moment of peril’
Senior figures to meet next week amid US warnings that Vladimir Putin could give order to invade within days
Antony Blinken is to meet the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, next week, as the US secretary of state warned the crisis in Ukraine was a “moment of peril for the lives and safety of millions of people”.
The US state department said on Thursday night that Blinken had accepted an invitation to meet Lavrov provided there was no invasion of Ukraine. The move provides hope that diplomatic channels remained open even as US warnings of an imminent invasion grow louder.
Continue reading...Moment of peril: Blinken says Russia readying to attack Ukraine in ‘coming days’ – video
US secretary of state Antony Blinken told a United Nations security council meeting on Ukraine that those assembled found themselves in a "moment of peril for the lives and safety of millions of people" as Russian continues to deny plans to invade Ukraine. Blinken said "our information indicates clearly that [Russian] forces, including ground troops, aircraft, ships, are preparing to launch an attack against Ukraine in the coming days"
- Joe Biden says risk of Russian invasion of Ukraine ‘very high’
- Ukraine and Russia crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion
‘We thought the war has started,’ says resident of eastern Ukrainian city hit by shells – video
A resident of a city in eastern Ukraine where a kindergarten was hit by shelling from Russian-backed separatists has said that he thought the artillery barrage meant that war had started.
'We were getting ready to go to work, we got up and just like back in 2014 and 2015 there was a huge noise, it was not far away,' Dmytro, a resident of Stanytsia Luhanska, said.
'We were all anxious and panicked because we knew, we expected some provocations exactly at this time so we thought that the war has indeed started,' he added.
The incidents come at a time of global concern over the prospect of a wider war, with more than 100,000 Russian troops near the Ukrainian frontier. Moscow denies it is planning an invasion and has said this week it is pulling back some troops, though western countries say they are not convinced it is
Shelling by Russian-backed separatists raises tensions in east Ukraine
Russia and Ukraine crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion
Continue reading...Britain steps up Ukraine warnings despite assurance from Moscow
Analysis: evidence contrasts with statements from Russia that troops are being sent back to barracks
Britain believes that nearly half of Russian forces that have massed near Ukraine are now within 30 miles of the border, in contrast to statements from Moscow that its forces were being sent back to barracks.
Reinforcements from 14 battalions were in the process of arriving, officials added, while highlighting a pontoon bridge that had been briefly set up in Belarus in the past few days as an example of unusual military activity.
Continue reading...Boris Johnson says kindergarten attack in Donbas was ‘false-flag operation’ – video
The UK prime minister, Boris Johnson, has said that an attack on a kindergarten in Ukraine was a 'false-flag operation' by Russia designed to discredit the Ukrainians.
'The picture is continuing to be very grim,' Johnson told reporters during a visit to RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire, when asked about the latest intelligence on Ukraine.
'A kindergarten was shelled in what we are taking to be, what we know was, a false-flag operation designed to discredit the Ukrainians, designed to create a pretext, a spurious provocation for Russian action.
'We fear very much that that is a thing we will see more of over the next few days,' Johnson added
Russia and Ukraine crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion
Continue reading...Ukraine: Russian military buildup shows ‘no signs of slowing’, says Truss – video
The UK foreign secretary, Liz Truss, has said there are no signs that Russia's military buildup on the Ukraine border is slowing down.
Speaking in Kyiv, Truss said the UK stood 'shoulder to shoulder' with Ukraine in the face of the threat
Russia and Ukraine crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion
Continue reading...Nursery hit by shelling after Russian-backed separatists open fire in east Ukraine – video
Fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine rose after Russian-backed separatists opened fire across the line of control with Ukrainian forces, hitting a nursery school and injuring three people.
According to the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe there were multiple shelling incidents on Thursday morning across the frontline in the Donbas region.
The nursery attack took place in the city of Stanytsia Luhanska with video showing debris and masonry strewn over a play area
- Shelling by Russian-backed separatists hits school in east Ukraine
- Russia and Ukraine crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion
Ukraine crisis: Nato fears Russia trying to stage pretext for attack after reports of multiple shelling incidents – live
‘No certainty about Russia’s intentions’, warns Nato, after Ukraine government source says shelling ‘looks like provocation’
- Russia still building forces on Ukraine border, says top Nato official
- Ukraine accuses Russia of cyber-attack on banks and defence ministry
- US and UK try to fend off Russian invasion by making intelligence public
Some more detail has emerged regarding the denial from Ukrainian government forces over accusations of having targeted separatist positions in the country’s east. Ukraine says its troops were fired upon but did not retaliate.
A duty press officer of the Ukrainian Joint Forces Operation told Reuters by telephone:
Despite the fact that our positions were fired on with prohibited weapons, including 122mm artillery, Ukrainian troops did not open fire in response.
Continue reading...Russia still sending troops to Ukraine border, say UK ministers – video
Russia’s claim to be withdrawing troops from the border with Ukraine does not appear to be the case on the ground, a UK defence minister has said.
Armed forces minister James Heappey said Moscow was continuing to deploy thousands more soldiers to the region and building bridges across rivers that could be used as part of a military incursion into Ukraine.
Despite brief hopes of a respite in tensions after Vladimir Putin’s announcement on Tuesday that there would be a 'partial' drawdown of forces, some Nato countries remained sceptical about how many of the roughly 130,000 troops had really been withdrawn. It is important Russia understands that Nato is completely united on the issue, added the UK defence secretary, Ben Wallace
- Russian claim of Ukraine drawdown is disinformation, says UK minister
- Russia and Ukraine crisis latest news: live updates as US warns of Russian invasion
Ukraine crisis: Nato considering new battlegroups in eastern Europe after ‘no sign’ of Russian de-escalation – live
Nato secretary general sees ‘no sign of de-escalation on the ground’ and says organisation is developing options for bolstering eastern flank
- Russia still building forces on Ukraine border, says top Nato official
- Russian pledge of troop withdrawals met with widespread scepticism
- Biden: Ukraine invasion still ‘distinctly possible’ despite Russian claims
Britain’s defence secretary has said Russia should be judged by its actions when it comes to de-escalating tension at the Ukraine border, adding he has not seen evidence of a withdrawal of troops.
Speaking in Brussels ahead of a meeting of Nato defence ministers, Ben Wallace told Sky News on Wednesday morning:
We’ll take Russia at its word, but we will judge them on their actions.
Until we see a proper de-escalation, we should all be cautious about the direction of travel from the Kremlin.”
Continue reading...‘It’s not too late’: Nato defence leaders call on Russia to continue diplomatic efforts – video
Nato secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said he sees no signs of de-escalation on the ground from Russia's military, while urging Russia to 'step back from the brink of war'. He also reiterated that Nato action was defensive and 'not a threat to Russia'.
Nato defence ministers are in Brussels for two days to discuss Russia military build-up on the Ukrainian border
Continue reading...Russian pledge of troop withdrawals met with widespread scepticism
Analysis: Experts have little faith in announcement and say there are no signs of de-escalation on Ukraine’s borders
A video of a handful of screeching tanks and lumbering armoured vehicles mounting a transport train in Crimea accompanied the Russian defence ministry’s trumpeted announcement that some of the forces that have been encircling Ukraine will “head for their garrisons”.
Such evidence is clearly far too tentative to amount to anything definitive, however. The movement of Russian forces towards Ukraine has been patiently documented by a group of open source intelligence analysts, relying on public domain information, including satellite imagery and a large supply of on the ground videos.
Continue reading...You’re going to feel this, Biden tells Americans, as Ukraine war looms
Analysis: US president gives the kind of speech normally delivered on the eve of momentous action, while speaking over Putin’s head to the Russian people
Joe Biden’s speech sounded like a closing argument, one that had been honed for some time and one that suggested expectations are still high in the White House that Russia will take military action.
Biden briefly nodded to Moscow’s claims to be withdrawing before abruptly contradicting them, raising the US estimate of the number of troops surrounding Ukraine to 150,000 in a “threatening position”.
Continue reading...Duma manoeuvre points to Kremlin impatience in Ukraine standoff
Analysis: recognition of Donetsk and Luhansk’s independence would be seen as considerable escalation
Russian lawmakers have passed a direct appeal to Vladimir Putin to recognise the Russian-controlled separatist states of Donetsk and Luhansk, providing a way to up the ante in the regional crisis without launching an attack on Ukraine.
Putin has said he will not immediately recognise the so-called republics but he is likely to wield that option as a bargaining chip as he continues to demand security guarantees from the west.
Continue reading...Scholz calls for ‘courageous and responsible action’ in meeting with Putin over Ukraine – video
German chancellor Olaf Scholz said preventing war in Europe is the 'damn responsibility' of heads of state and government as he met with Russian president Vladimir Putin.
Putin in turn raised questions about Ukrainian membership of Nato but was engaged in ongoing diplomatic efforts around military buildup on the Ukrainian border
Continue reading...What exactly does Putin want in Ukraine? – video explainer
Tensions in Europe have risen in recent weeks amid fears Russia is planning to invade Ukraine.
So why has Russia amassed thousands of troops and weapons at its border with Ukraine? The Guardian's Moscow correspondent, Andrew Roth, looks at what Russian president, Vladimir Putin, may be hoping to achieve – and why now
- Ukraine crisis - latest updates
- Boris Johnson says Russia is sending ‘mixed signals’ on Ukraine
- Putin continues to rattle sabre but with rare nod towards de-escalation
‘Mixed signals’: Boris Johnson on Russian diplomatic efforts over Ukraine – video
The prime minister told reporters that while Russia had announced it had withdrawn some troops from the Ukrainian border, intelligence showed that it was still making preparations to invade. Johnson said that while these 'mixed signals' meant UK sanctions on Russia needed to be ready to go, the government had decided to keep its embassy open in Kyiv as 'an important symbol'
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