Back Story Newsletter
Good morning,
War In Ukraine
Early this morning, Russia launched what appears to be a full scale war against an independent and democratic nation in Europe. As I write this at 5am London time, it is a rapidly developing story and may require I update as the day goes on, but here’s what I know so far;
Many of us saw this coming. This is an attack on the World order.
-Multiple Urban centres were hit with explosions from Odessa in the South to Kharkiv in the East and Kyiv itself
-Air raid sirens are sounding in Kyiv. Rocket and missile attacks are heard on the edge of Kyiv and it appears some of those are targeting airbases to give Russia air superiority
-President Zelensky has declared martial law and tried to calm residents, saying panic is the enemy, and that Ukraine but even as he made that announcement Ukrainians were seen taking to the roads and driving West on highways to Poland.
-Dmytry Kuleba, Ukraine’s foreign minister, said it was “a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.” “This is a war of aggression,” he wrote on Twitter. “Ukraine will defend itself and will win. The world can and must stop Putin.”
-Putin: After announcing earlier in the week in an angry and outrageous speech, he doesn’t see Ukraine as a real country Russian President Vladimir Putin has claimed that Russia had "no plans to occupy the Ukrainian territories" after announcing that a special operation was launched to defend the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from “Ukrainian aggression.”
The operation’s ultimate goal is “to protect the people who have been subjected for 8 years to genocide by the Kiev regime,” Putin said in an address on Thursday morning, adding that Moscow would “embark on a demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine, and handing over to justice those who committed numerous atrocities against civilians.”“We do not have plans to occupy Ukrainian territories. We are not going to impose anything on anyone by force,” which is ridiculous considering Russia is rolling tanks into Ukraine and bombing it.
****Putin threatened other Countries if they try to interfere saying you will experience “consequences you have never seen.”****
-Notable: Ukrainian border guards report being attack by not only Russian forces in Belarus, but claiming they are being attacked by Belarus’ forces as well. There is video of tanks rolling into Ukraine from Belarus and that road leads to Kyiv. Putin and Belarus’ leader Lukashenko have been speaking according to Belarus media
Watch today for International Condemnation;
U.S. President Biden -
“President Putin has chosen a premeditated war that will bring a catastrophic loss of life and human suffering. Russia 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. The world will hold Russia accountable.”
UK P.M. Boris Johnson "President Putin has chosen a path of bloodshed and destruction by launching this unprovoked attack on Ukraine. "The UK and our allies will respond decisively."
NATO will avoid direct armed action against Russia. This would be a potential nuclear war if it occurred, and Ukraine is not a NATO country.
Risk: NATO countries will however support Ukraine to fight back. If those countries like Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland are attacked in anyway that would invoke article 5 as an attack on one, being an attack on all NATO members and the war would dramatically escalate.
Sanctions: The sanctions likely to be announced today will likely target Russian banks. They are big commercial Banks like Sber Bank, Gazprom, VTB, Russian Agr Bank and possible sanctions against Russian energy companies.
The chilling angry statements by President Putin suggesting Ukraines army should lay down its weapons, and warning the West against interference are chilling and unprecedented. He has practically threatened a nuclear response to the West without saying it specifically but “consequences you have never seen” are a reference to new weapons in the Russian arsenal such as hypersonic missiles which are nuclear capable.
We are in un-chartered waters.
I will write more as this unfolds. I wish you a good day.
Dana