Military operation in Ukraine. The main thing

PThe Pentagon warned of possible interruptions in the supply of weapons to Ukraine, Zelensky announced the terms of negotiations with Putin. The main thing about the situation in Ukraine is in the material of RBC *

Military operation in Ukraine. The main thing

The main thing is by 15:30 Moscow time

  • Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that the collective West has declared a total hybrid war on Russia. According to him, Moscow accepts the challenge.

  • According to Lavrov, the United States began preparing the crisis a long time ago, everyone will feel its consequences, but it will not be possible to isolate Russia.

  • The countries of the “Big Seven” do not recognize changes in the borders of Ukraine, and will also supply Ukraine with weapons as long as it is necessary. The G7 urged China not to provide military assistance to Russia and not to assist in circumventing Western sanctions.

  • Finnish President Niinisto, during a telephone conversation with his Russian counterpart, told Putin that in the coming days the country will decide on membership in NATO. Putin said that there is no threat to Finland’s security, and the rejection of neutrality was a mistake. Joining NATO may negatively affect relations between Moscow and Helsinki, the Russian president added.

  • Also, during a conversation with Niinisto, Putin said that Kiev had actually stopped the negotiation process.

  • The UK does not seek to change the regime in Russia through new sanctions, Foreign Minister Liz Truss said. According to her, London wants the end of hostilities “with a shackled Russia” and will continue to increase pressure on Moscow and help Kiev while the Russian military remains in Ukraine.

  • The Russian Defense Ministry reported that high-precision air-launched missiles destroyed five control points and two ammunition depots in the areas of the settlements of Disputable and Berestovoye in the DPR. Russian air defense systems destroyed 13 Ukrainian drones, including one “Bayraktar-TB2” over the settlement of Mankovka, Kharkiv region.

  • German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said that it will be possible to lift sanctions against Russia only after the conclusion of a peace agreement with Ukraine

  • A delay in approving the aid package to Ukraine could lead to disruptions in the supply of weapons to Kiev, a Pentagon spokesman said.

  • The administration of the US president urged foreign banks not to help Russia circumvent sanctions, threatening otherwise to deprive them of access to the American financial system, writes The New York Times.

  • The US Treasury has unveiled a national strategy to combat money laundering, including through real estate transactions. The department also said that earlier “Russian oligarchs” used shell companies to hide assets and a deal to buy real estate for cash.

  • President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky said that Kiev will never recognize Crimea as Russian. According to him, the Ukrainian side proposes to postpone the discussion of this issue with Moscow if it complicates the process of meeting the presidents of Ukraine and Russia.

  • Reuters reported that Pentagon Chief Lloyd Austin spoke by phone with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. It is indicated that the United States insisted on a ceasefire in Ukraine and the importance of supporting communication between Moscow and Washington. This was the first contact of the heads of defense departments since February 18.

Where are the fighting going

At the request of Roskomnadzor, RBC provides data on the details of the military operation in Ukraine based on information from Russian official sources.

On May 12, the defense Ministry of the LPR reported that the people’s militia pushed Ukrainian servicemen away from Popasna. “The units continue to develop an offensive south of the city and on Lysychansk, cutting off Ukrainian militants from supply routes and leaving them no room for maneuver,” the message published by the Luhansk Information Center said.

On May 11, the head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, reported that during the joint offensive of the People’s militia of the LPR and the Akhmat unit, the settlements of Yuzhny and Voevodovka, the powder factory Zarya, as well as several suburban villages to the north and northwest of Severodonetsk were occupied.

On the morning of May 10, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the forces of the People’s Militia of the LPR, together with Russian troops, reached the administrative border of the LPR (west of Popasnaya), in the evening it again commented on the situation around the island of Zmeiny. According to Igor Konashenkov, the attempt to seize the island led to the death of more than 50 Ukrainian soldiers over the past three days, the loss of four planes, ten helicopters, three boats and 30 drones, which became a “disaster for the AFU”.

On May 5, the People’s Militia of the DPR occupied the village of Troitskoye, from which the shelling of Gorlovka was conducted. According to the Donetsk News Agency, the First separate mechanized battalion of the territorial defense of the DPR with the support of special forces was engaged in cleaning the settlement.

On the morning of May 5, the Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of three Ukrainian Su-24, Su-25 and Su-27 aircraft, more than 600 people and 61 pieces of equipment and weapons. A front-line bomber was shot down near the island of Zmeiny, where during the night the Russian military shot down a Ukrainian drone “Bayraktar-TB2”. In total, by the morning, 14 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were shot down and two multiple rocket launchers of the Smerch system were intercepted.

High-precision air-launched missiles destroyed aviation equipment at a military airfield near Kirovograd, a large ammunition depot in the city of Nikolaev, and a fuel storage facility for Ukrainian military equipment in the Zhovtnevoye area. There were also strikes on the forward control point of the 17th separate tankbrigades of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, four areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment, as well as two warehouses of military equipment at a military airfield near Kramatorsk. Russian operational-tactical and army aviation struck 93 areas of concentration of manpower and Ukrainian military equipment.

In the evening message of the Russian Ministry of Defense dated May 4, it is reported that four artillery batteries and three ammunition depots were destroyed in the areas of the settlements of Mirnaya Dolina and Toshkovka. Operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 77 areas of concentration of manpower and military equipment. Up to 310 nationalists and 36 pieces of weapons and military equipment were destroyed. In addition, the Ukrainian battery of BM-21 multiple launch rocket systems “Grad” was hit in firing positions.

On the morning of May 4, the Ministry of Defense reported strikes with long-range weapons in the areas of several railway stations in Ukraine: Podbortsy, Lviv, Volonets, Timkovo and Pyatikhatka. According to the ministry, six traction electric substations on the railways were destroyed by the strikes, “through which the Ukrainian group of troops in the Donbas was delivering weapons and ammunition manufactured by the United States and European countries.”

On the afternoon of April 29, the Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of the production buildings of the rocket and space industry enterprise “Artyom” in Kiev.

By the evening of April 28, the Ministry of Defense announced the destruction by air defense forces of seven Ukrainian drones over the settlements of the DPR, LPR and Kherson region. Also during the day, three Ukrainian ballistic missiles “Tochka-U” were shot down in the areas of the settlements of Petropavlovsk and Malaya Kamyshevakha [Kharkiv region]. Russian missile forces destroyed the Ukrainian launcher of the tactical missile system “Tochka-U”.

During the day on April 28, the operational-tactical and army aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 76 military facilities of Ukraine, including two warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons. More than 320 Ukrainian Armed Forces personnel and 35 armored vehicles and vehicles were destroyed. Another 38 Ukrainian military facilities, including six warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons, ammunition and fuel, were hit by high-precision air-based missiles of the Russian Aerospace Forces.

On the morning of April 27, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported the destruction by missiles of “Caliber” hangars on the territory of the Zaporozhye Aluminum Plant, where a large batch of foreign weapons and ammunition was stored. During the day, 17 military facilities were hit by high-precision air-launched missiles.

Among the targets that were hit by the VKS aircraft are the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile systems in the Slavyansk area and the S-300 in the Nikolaevka area. Rocket troops and artillery struck 573 strikes on the night of April 27, and another 309 during the day.

On April 26, the Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of two Ukrainian missiles “Point U” over the settlements of Tokmak and Svatovo. In addition, two launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems “Buk-M1” and “Osa AKM” were destroyed in the areas of Vesely and Prishib. Two Ukrainian S-300 anti-aircraft missile systems, a Tochka-U tactical missile launcher and an electronic warfare station were destroyed near the village of Barvenkovo.

The military department stated that 87 objects of Ukraine were hit by operational-tactical and army aviation: “About 500 enemy personnel, 59 armored vehicles, artillery pieces and cars were destroyed, as well as more than 60 militants of the nationalist formation “Donbass” in the area of the Rubtsy settlement of the Donetsk People’s Republic.

On April 25, the People’s Militia of the LPR reported the occupation of the village of Novotoshkovskoye (northeast of Popasnaya). On this day, the head of the LPR Igor Plotnitsky visited the city of Rubezhnoye, the occupation of which was previously announced by the head of Chechnya Ramzan Kadyrov.

Russian missile troops and artillery struck 1,053 military facilities on the territory of Ukraine on April 19, Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said. As a result, according to the ministry, 910 strong points and “enemy manpower concentration areas”, 106 artillery firing positions, 31 control points and six fuel and lubricants depots were destroyed.

During the night, the Russian Aerospace Forces attacked 73 Ukrainian facilities, including four command posts and four ammunition depots, and destroyed six tanks, nine armored vehicles and a battery of 152-mm howitzers “Msta-B”. The air defense forces shot down two tactical missiles of Ukraine “Dot-U” and six drones.

During the evening briefing on April 19, the Ministry of Defense announced attacks on the next military facilities of Ukraine. In particular, in the area of Barvenkovo (Kharkiv region) air-launched missiles managed to destroy the launcher of the Buk-M1 anti-aircraft missile system. In addition, 15 armored vehicles were destroyed during air attacks in the areas of the settlements of Mirnoye, Slavyansk and Popasnaya. The losses in manpower of the Ukrainian army in the Ministry of Defense were estimated at 180 people.

On the morning of April 19, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that rocket troops and artillery of the Russian ground forces struck 1,260 military facilities of the Armed Forces during the night, 13 strongholds of Ukrainian troops were suppressed by high-precision air-based missiles. Russian aviation has attacked 60 military facilities of Ukraine, including two warehouses with warheads of missiles “Tochka-U” in Chervona Polyana and Balakleya.

Russian air defense systems shot down a Ukrainian MiG-29 near Malinovka, two Tochka-U missiles were intercepted in the areas of Petropavlovsk and Malaya Kamyshevakha.

On the evening of April 18, the Ministry of Defense reported that high-precision missiles had struck the 124th Joint Logistics Command Logistics Center of the Ukrainian troops in the Lviv region and destroyed “large batches of foreign weapons”. Another large ammunition depot was destroyed near the town of Vasilkov (Kiev region). According to the military department, in addition, the repair plant for the heads of tactical missiles “Tochka-U” in the Dnieper was also destroyed.

On April 18, the Ministry of Defense reported strikes by precision missiles from aircraft on 16 Ukrainian military facilities, five enemy command posts, a fuel storage, three ammunition depots, as well as personnel and military equipment concentrated in the areas of the settlements of Barvenkovo, Gulyai-Pole, Kamyshevakha, Zelenoye Pole, Velikomikhailovka and Nikolaev were destroyed. Aviation also struck 108 areas of concentration of personnel and Ukrainian military equipment.

With Iskander missiles, the Russian military destroyed four warehouses of weapons and Ukrainian military equipment, as well as three areas of concentration of enemy manpower near the settlements of Popasnaya, Yampol and Kramatorsk. Russian artillery units attacked 315 objects of Ukrainian troops during the night.

The Defense Ministry also reported that the air defense forces shot down three Ukrainian combat aircraft: two MiG-29 fighters in the area of Izyum and Su-25 in the area of Avdiivka. 11 Ukrainian unmanned aerial vehicles were also shot down.

On April 16, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Ilyich Metallurgical Plant in Mariupol had been taken under control.

The military department told about the attack with missiles “Caliber” at the Zhuliansky Machine-building plant “Vizar” in Kiev, where anti-aircraft missile systems and ship missiles were manufactured and repaired. The Defense Ministry warned that the scale of missile strikes on targets in Kiev will increase in response to attacks and sabotage on the territory of Russia.

On April 15, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Ilyich Metallurgical Plant in Mariupol had been taken under control. Before that, the military department told that more than a thousand soldiers of the 26th Brigade of the Armed Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, defending the enterprise, surrendered.

On April 11, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the occupation of the village of Kamenka in the Kharkiv region. The military department noted that it was “one of the most fortified defense lines in the Izyumsky district”.

On the evening of April 7, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian units had completely blocked the settlements of Ugledar and Novomikhailovka (southwest of Donetsk).

On the morning of April 7, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the destruction of four fuel and lubricants storage bases near Nikolaev, in Zaporozhye, near Kharkov and near Chuguev. Also, the department announced a complete sweep of the village of Sladkoe.

According to the Ministry of Defense on the morning of April 6, the Russian military destroyed five fuel and lubricants storage bases in Ukraine with high-precision air and ground-based missiles in the areas of the settlements of Radekhov (Volyn region), Kazatin (Vinnytsia region), Prosyanaya (Dnipropetrovsk region), Nikolaev (Mykolaiv region) and Novomoskovsk (Dnipropetrovsk region).

By the end of the day on April 5, the Ministry of Defense reported the destruction of two more Ukrainian helicopters in the region of Mariupol. The military department believes that they tried to evacuate the leaders of the nationalists. The LPR formations continued to fight on the outskirts of the village of Novotoshkovskoye (east of Severodonetsk).

On the morning of April 5, the Ministry of Defense announced the destruction of the Training Center of the Ukrainian Special Operations Forces in the Ochakov area the night before, which was used, among other things, to accommodate foreign mercenaries. Also, high-precision missiles destroyed four fuel depots for supplying groups of Ukrainian troops in the areas of the settlements of Kremenets, Cherkasy, Zaporozhye and Novomoskovsk.

During the night, 134 military facilities of Ukraine were hit by Russian Aerospace Forces and missile forces, four Ukrainian drones were shot down.

On the evening of April 4, the Ministry of Defense reported that during the offensive, the People’s militia blocked Novotoshkovskoye, Borovskoye and Metelkino (settlements east of Severodonetsk). Earlier it was reported only about the partial blocking of Novotoshkovsky and Metelkino.

The Ministry of Defense also offered the Ukrainian military to lay down their arms and leave Mariupol. They will be able to leave the city from 6:00 on Tuesday, April 5. The Russian ministry claims that the route has been agreed with Kiev, and they promise to save the lives of the military who have laid down their weapons.

On the morning of April 4, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that Russian aircraft hit 14 military facilities of Ukraine during the night, including two control points, two launchers of anti-aircraft missile systems “Buk-M1” in the areas of Krasnogorka (Kirovograd region) and Verkhnetoretsky (Donetsk region), one artillery battery, two warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons and ammunition and three fuel depots, as well as six strong points and areas of concentration of military equipment of the Ukrainian troops.

The Russian armed forces also struck an airfield in the suburbs of Nikolaev, destroying three helicopters of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In addition, according to the Ministry of Defense, the Russian military shot down six unmanned aerial vehicles last night in the areas of the settlements of Nikolaev, Kherson, Kurakhovka (Donetsk region), Industrialnoye (Luhansk region), Velikaya Novoselka (Donetsk region). In total, 392 Ukrainian drones have been shot down since the beginning of the special operation.

According to the Ministry of Defense on April 3, the LPR units blocked the Borovskoye settlement (a settlement in the Luhansk region) from the east and south. The Mirgorod airfield in the Poltava region was also put out of operation. The Iskander missile strike on the defense headquarters in Kharkiv killed over 100 nationalists and mercenaries of Western countries. During the day, the Russian military hit 28 military facilities of Ukraine.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, said that Chechen fighters had begun storming the plant in Mariupol. Earlier, he demanded that the Ukrainian forces leave the territory of “Azovstal”, threatening to launch an assault.

On March 31, the Ministry of Defense announced the full occupation of the settlement of Zolotaya Niva. Russian units “crossed the Kashlagach River and gained a foothold on the advantageous border”.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the LPR units have completed the cleanup of Zhitlovka, advanced 5km and are fighting on the outskirts of Kremennaya.

On March 30, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the breakthrough of the enemy’s defense, the crossing of the Shaitanka River, the exit to the Great Novoselka and the sweep of the Golden Field from the nationalists.

The Ministry of Defense also reported that the People’s militia of the LPR continued its offensive on Severodonetsk and is cleaning up the settlement of Zhitlovka.

On March 28, the Ministry of Defense reported that Russian units managed to wedge 2 km deep into the defense of the 95th airborne assault Brigade of the Ukrainian army and reach the southern outskirts of Novoselovka.

According to the military department, the People’s militia of the LPR captured the settlements of Ivanovka, Novosadovoye, reaching the Novolyublino-Terny frontier.

On the morning of March 25, the Ministry of Defense reported that during the night the Russian Armed Forces advanced 4 km and captured the settlements of Batmanka, Mikhaylovka, Krasny Partizan, Stavki and Troitskoye.

On the morning of March 24, the Ministry of Defense announced that the Russian armed forces had taken full control of the city of Izyum in the Kharkiv region of Ukraine. According to the morning report, Russian aircraft struck 60 military facilities of Ukraine overnight. Near Kiev, 13 anti-aircraft missile systems of the Armed Forces of Ukraine were hit with precision weapons.

On March 23, the Ministry of Defense reported that units of the Russian Armed Forces had advanced 2km and were fighting on the southern outskirts of Novomikhailovka. The DPR detachments, in turn, fought for the mastery of Kamenka and Novobakhmutovka. On the same day, the Russian military reported a strike with “high-precision long-range sea-based weapons” on military facilities near the Ukrainian city of Rivne. According to the Ministry of Defense, an arsenal with weapons and military equipment was destroyed there.

On March 22, the Ministry of Defense announced that Kiev had lost control over ten settlements. The Russian military occupied the village of Urozhnoye in the Donetsk region and advanced 6 km, the forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic took four settlements: Slavnoye, Trudovskoy, Chelyuskintsev Mine and Maryinka. Five more Ukrainian settlements, according to the Ministry of Defense, came under the control of the People’s militia of the LPR: Kalinovo, Popasnaya, Novoaleksandrovka, Stepnoye and Boguslavskoye.

On March 21, the military department announced the displacement of Ukrainian servicemen by units of the Russian Airborne Forces from the suburbs of Kiev, who abandoned serviceable armored vehicles and weapons during the retreat. The Ministry of Defense did not specify the actions in which particular locality it was talking about, but published a video with T-64 and T-72 tanks, tank ammunition, BTR-70, MANPADS, as well as various types of small arms.

On March 20, the Russian military destroyed more than a hundred servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) and foreign mercenaries in the Zhytomyr region, the Ministry of Defense reported. Russian forces struck an object near the town of Ovruch in the Zhytomyr region, where, according to the Ministry of Defense, there was a training center for special operations forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and foreign mercenaries were stationed. The strike was carried out by “high-precision air-launched missiles”.

On March 19, the Russian military reported the destruction of radio and radio intelligence centers of the Ukrainian armed forces in the Odessa region. The objects were located in the villages of Veliky Dalnik and Velikodolinskoye, the strike was inflicted by the coastal missile system “Bastion”.

On March 18, the Russian Armed Forces reported the destruction of firing points from which the Ukrainian military, according to the official representative of the Ministry of Defense Igor Konashenkov, fired missiles at Melitopol. Konashenkov said that residential areas of the city were shelled with rockets “Point U” with cluster warheads. The missile attack was repelled by Russian air defense systems, the launch complexes were destroyed by Iskander missile systems. The shelling was conducted from the south-eastern outskirts of the city of Zaporozhye.

On March 17, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the People’s militia of the Luhansk People’s Republic had been successfully fighting against Ukrainian nationalists inside Severodonetsk and Rubezhny during the night. The military department told that the DPR units are attacking Maryinka, Glorious and Sweet, having advanced 4km in a day.

The Ministry of Defense reported that on the evening of March 16, an air strike was carried out on an ammunition storage arsenal in the city of Sarny (Rivne region).

On March 16, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the offensive of the People’s militia of the LPR in the north-west, north-east and east of Severodonetsk.

According to the Russian military department, the DPR forces took control of Mikhaylovka, Stavka, Betmanovo (Krasny Partizan), Vasilevka.

The Rosgvardiya reported that they repelled the nationalists’ attempt to recapture the Kakhovskaya hydroelectric power station in the Kherson region without losses. The ministry noted that initially “the Ukrainian side handed over the station without a fight, the local paramilitary guards laid down their weapons and went home.”

On the evening of March 13, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the People’s militia of the LPR “liberated the city of Popasnaya from the nationalists”. The Russian Armed Forces have established full control over the settlements of Pavlovka, Nikolskoye, Blagodatnoye, Vodianovka and Vladimirovka.

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that on the morning of March 13, high-precision weapons struck the training centers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the village of Starichi and at the military training ground Yavorovsky. The military department said that it was there that the training and combat coordination point for foreign mercenaries was located, as well as the storage base for weapons and military equipment coming from foreign countries. The result of the strike was the death of 180 foreign mercenaries and a large batch of weapons.

On the morning of March 13, the Ministry of Defense reported that the Russian Armed Forces had established control over the southern districts of the settlements of Blagodatnoye, Vladimirovka, Pavlovka and Nikolskoye.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the People’s militia of the LPR blocked the Borovskoye settlement, as well as the eastern and southern parts of Severodonetsk. In addition, the LPR units managed to gain a foothold in the northern districts of the city of Popasnaya.

On March 12, the Russian Defense Ministry showed a map of the southern territories of Ukraine, which came under the control of Russian troops and the People’s militia of the DPR. “The armed forces of the Russian Federation, continuing the offensive on a broad front, reached the Novodonetsky-Novomayorskoye- Egorovka line. The advance was 11 km,” the agency said.

On March 9, the Ministry of Defense reported that in the units of the Russian Armed Forces participating in a special military operation, “unfortunately, several facts of the presence of conscripts” were discovered.

“Practically all such servicemen have already been withdrawn to the territory of Russia.” At the same time, the military department indicated that as a result of the attack by the sabotage group of the national battalion, a number of servicemen, including conscripts, were captured.

Vladimir Putin instructed to send to the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office materials on the identified cases of the presence of conscript soldiers in units participating in a special military operation. “The materials are sent for verification, legal assessment of the actions and punishment of officials responsible for non-compliance with the instructions of the president,” quotesthe head of state agency TASS. Peskov added that even before the start of the operation, an instruction was brought to all commanders of the Armed Forces units: categorically exclude the involvement of conscripts to perform any tasks on the territory of Ukraine. “President Putin was informed about the implementation of this instruction,” he said.

On March 9, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that units of the Russian Armed Forces had taken control of the settlements of Krasnaya Polyana and Stepnoye. The People’s Militia of the LPR occupied Toshkovka and Grachevo, the People’s militia of the DPR – Signal, Taramchuk, Yelenov and Trudovoye. In Mariupol, the DPR forces have advanced more than 1km.

On the evening of March 4, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the People’s militia of the LPR occupied several settlements: Shandrigolovo, Alexandrovka, Derilovo, Srednoye, Lozove. All of them are located to the north or northwest of the city of Krasny Liman. The People’s Militia of the DPR occupied four settlements: Rozovka, Truzhenka, Znamenovka and Potbellied. Russian troops occupied several settlements in the Zaporozhye region, including the city of Pologi.

In Ukraine, the flagship frigate Hetman Sagaidachny was partially flooded, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security under the government of the country reported.

On the night of March 3 to 4, a fire broke out in the training building near the Zaporozhye NPP. It was extinguished. In Kiev, they indicate that the main equipment of the nuclear power plant was not damaged. The head of the IAEA, Mariano Grossi, said that there were no changes in the radiation background in the area of the NPP.

The Russian Defense Ministry claims that the fire at the nuclear power plant was set by a Ukrainian sabotage group. The military department called the incident an attempt of a monstrous provocation.

On March 3, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the city of Balakleya (Kharkiv region) had been liberated from nationalist battalions. In addition, Russian troops, acting on the adjacent flank with the DPR units, took control of several settlements in the Zaporozhye region, including Blue Mountain, Sweet Beam, Ilchenkovo.

The Russian military department also said that as a result of the strike with high-precision long-range weapons, the backup technological radio and television center in the Lysaya Gora area in Kiev, used by the SBU for psychological operations against Russia, was disabled. There are no victims and destruction of residential buildings.

The People’s Militia of the LPR has reached the Red Estuary line— Privolye— the northern outskirts of Severodonetsk. The DPR forces that surrounded Mariupol occupied the village of Vodiane, as well as Sartana and Vinogradnoye.

On March 2, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the establishment of control over Kherson, as well as Vasilevka and Tokmak (Zaporozhye region).

In the Luhansk region, the People’s militia of the LPR established control over the cities of Starobilsk and Svatovo. The head of the republic Leonid Pasechnik said that the fighting is going on for Severodonetsk. Later, the People’s militia of the LPR announced the occupation of the Novoaidar district center to the northwest of Lugansk.

Also on March 3, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the People’s militia of the DPR had joined with units of the Russian army moving from the west. The main grouping of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the Donbass, thus, was cut off from the Sea of Azov.

On February 27, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the blocking of Kherson and Berdyansk, as well as the occupation of Genichesk (Kherson region).

According to the Russian military department, the 302nd anti-aircraft missile regiment of the Ukrainian army laid down their weapons in the Kharkiv region, and 471 servicemen were detained.

The People’s Militia of the LPR occupied the settlements of Novoakhtyrka, Smolyaninovo (east of Severodonetsk), the Village of Lugansk. In the DPR, according to the Russian military department, the people’s militia forces are completing the defeat of the reserves of the operational-tactical group “Vostok” in the Volnovakha area.

On February 26, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that Russian troops took full control of Melitopol overnight. On February 25, the military reported that they blocked Kiev from the western side, as well as Chernihiv, Sumy and Konotop.

On the morning of February 25, the Russian Defense Ministry announced that the military had agreed to jointly protect the Chernobyl nuclear power plant with the Ukrainian security battalion. Control over the power plant was established the day before.

The military department also announced the occupation of Zmeiny Island in the Odessa region of Ukraine. The Snake garrison laid down their arms.

On the evening of February 24, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the resumption of water supply to the North Crimean Canal. This happened after the landing on the approaches to Kherson. The head of the Crimea Sergey Aksenov said that the water blockade of the peninsula has been completed.

On the morning of February 24, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported targeted strikes on Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities. Airfields and command posts near Kiev, Kharkov and Odessa were attacked.

The military department announced the suppression of the air defense of Ukraine, the destruction of the infrastructure of the air bases of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian authorities reported artillery shelling of military units and warehouses in the Kiev, Khmelnytsky, Dnepropetrovsk, Vinnytsia regions.

The Border Service of Ukraine on the morning of February 24 reported attacks and shelling along the entire border from the Zhytomyr region (bordering only with Belarus) to Lugansk, as well as from the Crimea. In Kiev, they also claimed that Russian units had crossed the border. The FSB reported that all border units of Ukraine have left their places of deployment on the border with Russia.

On the evening of February 24, Kiev notified the IAEA that they had lost control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant.

The DPR authorities reported that they were shelling Ukrainian positions along the entire contact line.

The Ministry of Defense reported that in the direction of the district center of Volnovakha (Donetsk region), the People’s militia of the DPR advanced 7km. There are also battles in the area of the settlement of Stepovoye (north of the Village of Lugansk).

On the afternoon of February 25, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Russian Su-25 crashed in Ukraine “due to a technical error”. The military department reported that the pilot ejected and has already returned to his unit. In the evening, the Russian military department reported the crash of an An-26 with military equipment in the Voronezh region. The cause of the accident was called a failure of equipment. The crew of the plane was killed.

What sanctions have been imposed against Russia

On March 15, the European Union, following the United States, tightened sanctions against Russia. The fourth sanctions package provides for restrictions on trade in iron, steel and luxury goods. The sanctions will affect individuals and organizations, and they also include a ban on access to the services of rating agencies. The exact list has not yet been given, the EU promises that it will include “lobbyists and propagandists”. The French Finance Minister said that the new sanctions could affect more than 600 Russians.

The G7 countries (USA, Canada, Japan, Great Britain, Germany, France, Italy) announced a new round of economic sanctions against Russia: Moscow will lose its most favored nation status in trade with these countries. In addition, the United States will stop the supply of dollar bills to Russia and the export of luxury goods. They also prohibit the import of Russian seafood, alcoholic beverages and diamonds.

The United States imposed sanctions against Communist Party leader Gennady Zyuganov, State Duma Speaker Vyacheslav Volodin and 10 other deputies of the lower house of parliament. The management of Novikombank and “ADB Management”, members of the VTB board, Peskov’s wife Tatiana Navka and his adult children fell under the restrictions.

On March 9, the European Union imposed sanctions against 14 Russian businessmen and their family members, as well as 146 members of the Federation Council who voted for the recognition of the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics.

Under the EU sanctions were Alexander Vinokurov (president of Marathon Group), Dmitry and Alexander Pumpyansky (TMK), Galina Pumpyanskaya (“Sinara”), Andrey Guryev (CEO of “PhosAgro”), Vadim Moshkovich (Chairman of the Board of Directors of “RusAgro”), Dmitry Mazepin (CEO of Uralchem) (as well as hisson, former Formula 1 racer Nikita Mazepin), Mikhail Poluboyarinov (CEO of Aeroflot), Dmitry Konov (Chairman of the Board of Sibur Holding), Mikhail Oseevsky (President of Rostelecom), Sergey Kulikov (head of Rusnano), Vladimir Kiriyenko (head of VK), Andrey Melnichenko (SUEK).

The United States, the EU and the United Kingdom have imposed sanctions against Russian President Vladimir Putin and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Sanctions imply the freezing of foreign assets. In the case of restrictions imposed by the EU and Britain, they do not concern movement. But Putin is not allowed to enter the United States, except in cases specifically determined by the American authorities. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov were also sanctioned by the United States.

The United States has officially banned American individuals and legal entities from transactions with the Russian Central Bank, the National Welfare Fund and the Ministry of Finance. Restrictions have also been imposed on the RDIF and its head Kirill Dmitriev.

On March 4, the United States imposed sanctions against the founder of USM Holdings and Metalloinvest, Alisher Usmanov, the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, the head of Transneft, Nikolay Tokarev, billionaires Arkady and Boris Rotenberg, entrepreneur Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of VEB Igor Shuvalov and the head of Rostecraquo; Sergey Chemezov. In total, 19 individuals (the White House calls them oligarchs) and 47 members of their families were included in the new sanctions list.

In addition, Biden said that the new restrictions will also affect the Russian space program, and a blow to the export of high technologies should slow down the development of the Russian economy, including the modernization of the army.

The EU has banned the sale, supply, transfer and export of euro banknotes to Russia. Exceptions will be made if the banknotes are for personal use, or their holders will be persons with diplomatic immunity.

On February 25, the EU imposed sanctions against a number of sectors of the Russian economy (finance, defense, aviation and shipbuilding). In particular, Alfa-Bank, banks “Otkritie” and “Russia”, Promsvyazbank, Ministry of Defense and SVR, Russian Railways, “Irkut”, “Tupolev”, Rocket and Space Center “Progress” were subject to restrictions.raquo;. It is forbidden to make transactions with them, as well as to supply goods and technologies, to provide financial assistance.

The European Union has imposed restrictions on deposits in European banks: they are prohibited from accepting deposits from Russian citizens or Russian legal entities in excess of 100 thousand euros per credit institution. It is also prohibited to buy and sell financial instruments denominated in euros in the interests of Russian individuals and legal entities.

The EU also announced sanctions against the Russian transport sector. They include a ban on the sale of aircraft and spare parts for them.

Canada has imposed sanctions against the Central Bank and several Russian financial institutions: Sberbank, VTB, Otkritie, Sovcombank, Alfa-Bank. Russian Railways, «Transneft», «Gazprom», the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank, the National Welfare Fund and individuals fell under the restrictions: State Duma deputies, the head of Sberbank German Gref, the head of VEB.Russian Federation Igor Shuvalov, businessman Evgeny Prigozhin and others.

On March 3, the Canadian Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against ten key employees of Gazprom and Rosneft. It is not reported who exactly fell under the restrictions. Former President and ex-Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin, and St. Petersburg Governor Alexander Beglov were also sanctioned.

As part of the new sanctions package, Japan will freeze the issuance of visas to some Russians, assets of Russian financial institutions and restrict the export of a number of goods.

The International Olympic Committee recommended that federations not allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to compete. Due to the decision of the IOC, the Russians were denied participation in a number of major tournaments. A lot of competitions scheduled in Russia were also canceled. In particular, the Champions Football League final, the Formula 1 Grand Prix stage, and the World Chess Olympiad were postponed. The Russian national football and hockey teams will not be able to play at the World Championships, Russian football clubs are banned from participating in European competitions.

On March 10, the United Kingdom included several Russian businessmen in the sanctions list, including the owner of Chelsea Roman Abramovich. They are banned from entering the United Kingdom, assets in the country are frozen.

Andrey Kostin, Alexey Miller, Oleg Deripaska, Nikolay Tokarev, Dmitry Lebedev, Igor Sechin were also sanctioned.

The English Premier League has suspended Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich from managing Chelsea. This decision will not affect the competitive activities of Chelsea under a special license issued to the club by the country’s government earlier, the league said.

Russian measures to support the economy

An anti-sanctions operation center has been established in Russia. It will be headed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin, his deputies will be Andrei Belousov and Sergei Sobyanin.

The Prime Minister also said that the authorities will impose temporary restrictions on the exit of foreign investors from Russian assets.

On March 10, Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin said that external management at enterprises with foreign capital will be introduced if they decide to leave Russia. In case of suspension of activities in Russia, the authorities will monitor the situation.

The government has decided on a list of foreign-made goods temporarily banned from export from Russia. The list includes tanks, turbines, locomotives, wagons, containers, fuel rods, engines and knives.

On March 9, the government announced its intention to exempt citizens from paying personal income tax from interest on bank deposits. The fee will not be charged to depositors on income for this and last year. This tax has never been collected: in 2021, Russians had to pay it before December 1, 2022.

Mikhail Mishustin announced the introduction of a moratorium until the end of the year on scheduled inspections of individual entrepreneurs and small businesses. The government will also allocate 6 billion rubles. to maintain preferential lending programs for small and medium-sized businesses.

In addition, Mishustin said that IT companies will be exempt from income tax for three years.

The Government has submitted a bill to the State Duma, according to which the Bank of Russia can get the right to suspend operations and transactions of credit institutions for up to six months. A stop is possible if the regulator deems it necessary to maintain financial stability.

Rostransnadzor has decided to cancel scheduled inspections of organizations that use Airbus and Boeing aircraft.

The authorities are discussing the revision of rates on preferential mortgage loans due to the increase in the key rate to 20%, sources told RBC. The amount of the new marginal interest on state programs has not yet been disclosed to bankers.

Since March 2, it is prohibited to export currency in cash from Russia in the amount of more than $ 10 thousand, the corresponding decree was signed by Putin.

The Bank of Russia has allowed companies to independently decide on the payment of dividends and other payments on securities. Non-residents will not be paid dividends.

The Bank of Russia has banned banks from making money transfers from Russia abroad to non-residents who are citizens of countries that have announced sanctions against Russia. The letter with the corresponding order of the Central Bank was sent to credit institutions on March 1. The ban is valid from March 1 to March 31, 2022. It concerns individuals and legal entities. There are 43 States in the list of countries whose citizens are affected by this ban. Among them are Great Britain, Germany, USA, etc.

The Moscow Exchange has established a ban on short sales in euros on the currency and financial markets.

The Ministry of Finance has prepared measures to support telecom operators in the face of sanctions. Among them are the weakening of the requirements of the “Spring Law”, the ability to change tariffs, a delay in covering roads and small settlements with LTE networks.

On March 10, the government submitted to the State Duma a bill on anti-crisis tax measures. In particular, we are talking about the exemption of the hotel business from VAT for five years, raising the luxury tax bar for cars to 10 million rubles, zero income tax rate for IT companies for 2022-2024, as well as the exemption of citizens from paying income tax on interest on bank deposits.

What Vladimir Putin said in an emergency address

Russian President Vladimir Putin made an emergency appeal and announced the start of a special military operation in the Donbass. “Its [operation] goal is to protect people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years,” he stressed.

According to him, Russia cannot feel safe and exist with a constant threat from Ukraine. He stressed that the military operation in Donbass will be carried out in accordance with the UN Charter, the decision of the Federation Council and agreements with the DPR and LPR.

Recognition of the DPR and LPR

  • On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing the sovereignty of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics. Putin also signed agreements on friendship and mutual assistance with the leaders of the DPR and LPR. He asked the Federal Assembly to ratify them.
  • Official Kiev refused to recognize Russia’s decision and the independence of Donbass. Vladimir Zelensky stressed that the borders of Ukraine will remain as they were recognized by the international community, “despite the statements of the Russian Federation.”
  • In accordance with the decrees on recognition, Putin instructed to ensure the functions of maintaining peace in the DPR and LPR by the Russian armed forces until the conclusion of the relevant agreement.
  • In accordance with the friendship treaties, Russia receives the right to build, use and improve its military infrastructure and military bases on the territory of the republics by its armed forces, jointly protect the border, and protect its citizens.
  • Friendship agreements are concluded for ten years with automatic prolongation for the next five years.
  • On Tuesday, February 22, at an emergency meeting, the Federation Council unanimously allowed President Vladimir Putin to use the Armed Forces of Russia abroad in the DPR and LPR.
  • Vladimir Putin said that there are clauses in the friendship agreements on the provision of military assistance: “By this decision, we make it clear that, if necessary, we are ready to fulfill our responsibilities. <...> I’m not saying that the troops will go right now. And where they will go, it will depend on the specific situation on earth.”
  • The President of Russia also said in which borders the DPR and LPR are recognized. “We have recognized the republics, and hence their Constitution. And there are registered borders within the Donetsk and Lugansk regions. All disputed issues will be resolved at the negotiations between the Kiev authorities and these republics. This is not possible at the moment. But I hope it will be so in the future,” he said.

What was said at the Security Council meeting on Donbass

  • On February 21, Putin said during a meeting of the Russian Security Council that the Ukrainian authorities were not going to implement the Minsk agreements. He suggested discussing the request of the leaders of the DPR and LPR to recognize the sovereignty of the self-proclaimed republics at a meeting of the Russian Security Council.
  • Putin explained that the danger of Ukraine joining NATO lies in the fact that official Kiev threatens to “retake Crimea and Sevastopol”. This poses a threat of a collision between Russia and the entire North Atlantic Alliance. At the same time, Putin considered that the moratorium on Ukraine’s accession to NATO is not a concession. This is the time to prepare for Kiev’s accession to the alliance.
  • Putin said that he had talked with French President Macron until two o’clock in the morning and he said that there were changes in the American position. “But what these changes are, he could not explain,” the president said.
  • During the discussion in the Kremlin, Security Council Secretary Nikolai Patrushev said that it is necessary to support the Duma’s request for recognition of the LPR and the DPR in order to protect the people who live there. At the same time, Patrushev offered to respond to Biden’s proposal for negotiations and “offer him two or three days to stop the carnage”.
  • A similar position was expressed by the head of government Mikhail Mishustin. According to him, it is necessary to catalyze the issue at Putin’s meeting with Biden, and in case the US refuses to recognize the DPR and LPR, despite the threats of sanctions.
  • Deputy Head of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev recalled his experience of recognizing Abkhazia and South Ossetia. “This has saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. It was a lesson for NATO and a number of European countries that it is impossible to do this with Russia. We know what will happen, all the proposals for sanctions. We understand that the pressure will be exorbitant, but we understand how to resist it. Bitter experience has shown that it will be difficult, but after a while this tension around our country will subside. Not quickly, but they will get tired of this situation and will ask us to return to negotiations,” Medvedev said.
  • Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov proposed to continue the dialogue with the United States on security guarantees, taking into account that the key points are the non-expansion of NATO to the east and the configuration of the deployment of alliance troops in Europe. At the same time, he expressed confidence that the West will not change its position.
  • Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said that more than 59 thousand Ukrainian servicemen are concentrated near the borders of the DPR and LPR, not counting representatives of nationalist detachments. According to him, there is a threat that nuclear weapons may appear in Ukraine. “We were left with no choice. We must admit,” Shoigu said.
  • Interior Minister Vladimir Kolokoltsev called for the recognition of the DPR and LPR within the borders of Donetsk and Luhansk regions until 2014.
  • You can see the speeches of all the participants in the discussion at the Security Council meeting in the broadcast, which was broadcast on RBC.

What Putin said in his address before he announced the recognition of the DPR and LPR

  • At the beginning of his address to Russians and compatriots abroad, Vladimir Putin recalled the history of Ukraine. “Ukraine was entirely created by Bolshevik Russia. Lenin and his associates did this in a very crude way, by alienating its own territories. Lenin created Ukraine with his directives and pushed Donbass into it. And grateful descendants demolished monuments to him. Do you want decommunization? Usthat’s fine. We are ready to show Ukraine what real decommunization is,” the president said. “The leaders of the Communist Party considered that they had solved the national question. But falsifications and deception are expensive. The originally laid mine of nationalism— the right to withdraw from the USSR— was waiting in the wings. And the leadership of the Communist Party limited itself to frank verbiage about the restoration of Lenin’s right to self-determination.
  • According to Putin, Russia helped Ukraine after 1991 by providing it with $250 billion in soft loans. Russia assumed the repayment of the entire Soviet debt and fulfilled its obligations. But Kiev continued to demand Russian assets abroad. “Instead of partnership, dependency began to prevail. It is enough to recall the banal theft of gas. The West was blackmailed by rapprochement with Moscow, seeking preferences.
  • Putin noted that the radicals repeatedly put pressure on the weak government. Stable statehood has not developed, and the elections have become a screen for the redistribution of power between clans. “Corruption has eroded all branches of government. The radicals took advantage of this. The country was swept by a wave of terror. No one is looking for criminals in Odessa, but we know them by name, we will do everything to punish them.
  • “The radicals pushed Ukraine into the abyss of civil war. Almost 6 million Ukrainians were forced to go abroad in search of work. The dowry from the USSR and the Russian Empire was squandered and stolen into pockets. Ukraine itself has been driven under external management, it is carried out through a network of foreign advisers, NGOs.
  • Putin noted that the Russian language is being expelled from all spheres, acts are being multiplied to combat dissent. Ukraine has invented sanctions against its own citizens, TV channels, and is preparing to crack down on the ROC of the Moscow Patriarchate.
  • In March 2021, Ukraine adopted a strategy for organizing a terrorist underground in Crimea and Donbas. “We know that statements have already been made that Ukraine intends to create its own nuclear weapons. This is not simple bravado. Ukraine has a Soviet technological reserve. The situation in the world with the appearance of WMD in Ukraine will change dramatically.
  • “In recent months, Western weapons have been coming to Ukraine in a continuous stream. The command and control system of the troops is integrated with the NATO ones, they can be controlled from the NATO headquarters. The exercises are clearly anti-Russian. Ukraine’s accession to NATO is a direct threat to Russia’s security.
  • “In 2000, during Bill Clinton’s visit to Moscow, I asked how America would react to Russia joining NATO. He replied that he was very restrained. Well, okay, you don’t want to see us as a friend, but why make an enemy out of us? They just don’t need a big and strong country. The situation continues to deteriorate, including in the technical sphere. The US missile defense system is expanding, and the deployment of this system in Ukraine is a foregone conclusion. The threat of a sudden strike on our country will increase.
  • “We don’t want to believe that Ukraine is the springboard. Many airfields are close to our borders, the Pentagon is developing ground-based strike weapons. If deployed in Ukraine, they will be able to hit the entire European part of Russia, as well as territories beyond the Urals. It’s a knife to the throat.”
  • “In response to our proposals, there were only attempts to divert the discussion to the side. We said that all issues should be considered as a package: the refusal to expand NATO, the refusal to deploy strike infrastructure at the borders, the return of military infrastructure to the situation of 1997. But they are trying to blackmail us again, threatening us with sanctions, which will be imposed anyway. And the reason for them can be fabricated in order to restrain the development of Russia.
  • “In the current situation, we have the right to take retaliatory measures to ensure our own safety. That’s what we’ll do.”

New escalation around Ukraine

  • On the afternoon of February 18, the DPR authorities announced attempts by Ukrainian special forces to organize sabotage at enterprises. Among them is a chemical plant in Gorlovka. Donetsk said that the Ukrainian army plans to strike the main blow on the Svitlodarsk arc in order to cut the communication lines between Donetsk and Lugansk.

  • The DPR and LPR announced the evacuation of the population to the territory of Russia in connection with the aggravation.Mobilization was announced later. Those in reserve must arrive at the military enlistment offices.

  • The foreign ministries of the DPR and the LPR refused Kiev’s proposals to hold an extraordinary meeting of the contact group on the settlement in the Donbass.

  • The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba on his Twitter page said that Kiev does not plan any offensive against the republics of Donbass. According to him, Ukraine is counting on a diplomatic settlement of the conflict. He called the statements from Donetsk and Lugansk part of “Russian propaganda”.

  • The Russian authorities called on Ukraine to negotiate. “All Kiev needs to do is sit down at the negotiating table with representatives of Donbass and agree on political, military, economic and humanitarian measures to end this conflict. The sooner this happens, the better,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said.

  • On February 19, US President Joe Biden said that an attack by Russian troops on Ukraine could happen “in the coming weeks” and even “in the coming days”.

  • Vladimir Zelensky, during the Munich Conference, demanded the convening of a summit of the countries participating in the Budapest Memorandum, which provided for Ukraine’s renunciation of nuclear weapons. At the same time, Zelensky said that the return of Donbass and Crimea to Ukraine is possible only by peaceful means.

  • Joint Polish-American exercises have begun in the south-east of the country, Polish Defense Minister Mariusz Blaszczak said. Within the framework of agreements with NATO and bilateral agreements with the United States, about 5,000 American soldiers are currently stationed in Poland. Another 4.7 thousand military personnel arrived in the country as additional forces “due to the security threat”.

  • On the afternoon of February 21, the press service of the Southern Military District reported that a sabotage group from Ukraine had broken into the territory of the Rostov region. Two armored vehicles arrived to evacuate them from the territory of Ukraine. They were destroyed, five saboteurs were killed. According to official data, there are no losses among Russian border guards.

  • The FSB later reported that the BMP that violated the border were discovered by border guards. “The group was stopped and destroyed during the armed resistance,” the ministry said. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Dmitry Kuleba denied the fight in the Rostov region.

  • On the morning of February 21, Pushilin reported that in the area of the village of Kominternovo (32 km from the Russian border), the 36th brigade of the Ukrainian army attacked the positions of the People’s Militia of the DPR. “There is a battle at the border with the Russian Federation,” he said.

  • Later, the Ministry of State Security of the DPR reported that it was a sabotage group of the Ukrainian army, which in the Novoazovsky district (south of the DPR) tried to break through to the Russian border, blew up a rocket and artillery depot, but was met with fire.

  • The FSB of Russia reported that a shell fired from the territory of Ukraine destroyed a building in the Rostov region, which the department called “the place of duty of border guards”.

  • The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine called the message about the shelling of the border post a provocation.

What happened before the statements from Donetsk and Lugansk about the upcoming offensive

Reports that Russia is increasing its military presence on the border with Ukraine began to appear in the Western media in October 2021. The Kremlin said that the movement of Russian troops on the territory of the country is exclusively a matter of Russia.

On February 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry published a reaction to the US responses on security guarantees. Moscow stated that there was no constructive response from Washington to the Russian proposals. “In the absence of the readiness of the American side to agree on firm, legally binding guarantees to ensure our security from the United States and its allies, Russia will be forced to respond, including through the implementation of military-technical measures,” the Foreign Ministry said.

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has invited his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to hold a meeting in Europe next week. According to him, he sent a corresponding letter to Lavrov. According to Blinken, these negotiations can open the way for a meeting of the leaders of the two countries.

Despite reports of the withdrawal of Russian troops from exercises to places of permanent deployment, the West continued to talk about a possible invasion of Ukraine. US President Joe Biden on Thursday said that Russia is “very likely” to invade Ukraine “in the next few days.” According to Biden, he has information that Moscow is going to conduct a military operation “under a false flag”. The Kremlin responded to this that it was about escalating the situation.

The Washington Post, citing unnamed officials in Washington, reported that the statements of the Russian Defense Ministry there are considered as a “trick” in order to mislead Western countries.

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that he sees no point in direct negotiations with the DPR and the LPR. “It’s pointless. They just don’t solve anything. Why waste time on this?»— he declared.

Secretary of the NSDC of Ukraine Alexey Danilov said that Kiev does not see signs of preparation of a full-scale operation on the part of Russia. In his opinion, the purpose of the provocation was to force Ukraine to start “militarily responding powerfully”, and then accuse the Ukrainian authorities of organizing the provocation.

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