Ukraine Russia war: Russia Declares War on Ukraine, Putin Clears “Military Operation”

Ukraine Russia war: Russian President Vladimir Putin announced today a military operation in Ukraine to defend separatists in the east of the country, called the Donbas region. “I have made the decision of a military operation,” he said in a surprise statement on television shortly before 6 am.

Weeks of intense diplomacy to avert war and the imposition of Western sanctions on Russia failed to deter Mr Putin, who had massed between 150,000 and 200,000 troops along the borders of Ukraine. Russia also called on Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms, and justified the invasion by claiming a “genocide” in Ukraine’s east.

US President Biden immediately warned of “consequences” for Russia and said the world would “hold Russia accountable” for its actions. He said Russia’s move would cause “catastrophic loss of life and human suffering”, while NATO’s chief condemned Russia’s “reckless and unprovoked attack’ on Ukraine.

India Advises Citizens Travelling to Kyiv to “Return to Respective Cities”

India’s embassy in Ukraine has asked Indian nationals living in the conflict-hit eastern European nation to “maintain calm and remain safe”. The advisory comes hours after an Air India flight going to Ukraine turned back for Delhi after the country closed it airspace, following Russian military operations in two breakaway areas.

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Flight trackers on the internet show no commercial flights in Ukrainian airspace as of now. “Dear Indians in Ukraine, the present situation in Ukraine is highly uncertain. Please maintain calm and remain safe wherever you are, be it in your homes, hostels, accommodations or in transit,” India’s embassy in Ukraine said in the advisory.