Author: Steven Sahiounie

The alliance’s secretary general announced the move following Russia’s attack on Ukraine NATO will commence “defense plans” to enhance security in Eastern Europe, according to the alliance’s secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, following Russia’s military attack on Ukraine on Thursday morning. “What we have made clear is that we have already increased and we are increasing the presence of NATO troops in the eastern part of the alliance on NATO territory,” Stoltenburg said. He also confirmed that, despite plans to enhance the NATO presence in the region, there were no alliance troops in Ukraine. “There are no NATO combat troops, no NATO troops at…

Beijing claims the US has ‘poured oil on the flames’ China has blamed the US for creating the tensions which led to Thursday’s Russian attack on Ukraine. Beijing further called on the international community to avoid “stoking panic” over the situation. During a press briefing, China’s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the key question was the role played by the Americans, whom she branded “the [main] culprit of current tensions.” “If someone keeps pouring oil on the flames while accusing others of not doing their best to put out the fire, such kind of behavior is clearly irresponsible and…

Advisor to Lugansk People’s Republic’s Interior Minister, Vitaly Kiselev, announces control over Schastia and Stanystia Luhanska. Advisor to the Lugansk People’s Republic’s Interior Minister, Vitaly Kiselev, said on Thursday that the cities of Schastia and Stanystia Luhanska are again under the control of the Lugansk Republic. Lugansk’s People’s Armed Forces also announced the downing of two Ukrainian Su-24 aircraft, adding that the Ukrainian army is refusing to obey orders, and is deserting its positions. Lugansk announced earlier today that its armed forces have launched a military campaign to liberate the Republic’s lands. Russian President Vladimir Putin said earlier that members…

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the beginning of a special military operation on Thursday in order to defend the people of Donbass, and “demilitarise and denazify” Ukraine. “It’s not a beginning of war, it is prevention of a situation that could lead to global military confrontation. It is also the end of the war that was being carried out [in Donbass],” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said in an interview, as she addressed the special operation in Ukraine authorised by President Vladimir Putin on Thursday. The spokeswoman added that it was the US who refused to engage…

Russian military action against its neighbor is “unacceptable,” the Turkish president says Turkey’s President Recep Erdogan condemned Russia for its attack against Ukraine on Thursday. Ankara considers both Moscow and Kiev friends and “feels true regret” over their military conflict, the Turkish leader said as quoted by the Anadolu news agency. Russia’s operation “violates international law and poses a threat to regional stability,” according to Erdogan. The Turkish leader chaired a National Security Council meeting after talking to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on the phone on Thursday. Ankara called on Moscow to seek reconciliation with Kiev based on the 2015 Minsk agreement. The…

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the start of a special operation by the Russian armed forces in Donbass with the goal of protecting the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR). He explained that the operation was needed to stop atrocities committed by Ukrainian forces in Donbass.Air strikes by the Russian military destroyed 74 military infrastructure targets of the Ukrainian armed forces, the Russian Defence Ministry has stated. Among them are 11 airfields, three command centres, a Ukrainian Navy post, 18 S-300 radars (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble), and Buk (NATO reporting name Gadfly) air defence systems of the…

Kiev tells Ankara to close two straits that Moscow relies on Ukraine has asked Turkey to cut off Russian access to the Bosphorus and Dardanelles straits after Moscow launched an attack on multiple Ukrainian cities in the early hours of Thursday morning. Kiev’s demand to suspend Russian ships’ access through the straits was conveyed by Ukraine’s Ambassador to Turkey, Vasyl Bodnar, who also lobbied for the closure of Turkey’s airspace to Russian planes, news agency Reuters reported. The move comes in response to Russian air and ground attacks launched on Ukrainian military installations, airports, and cities, including the capital, Kiev, throughout…

A Russian special operation in Ukraine was announced by President Vladimir Putin earlier on Thursday, when he said in a televised address that the operation aims to demilitarise and denazify the country. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Thursday that Russia has started a military operation in Ukraine in order to clear the country of Nazis. “Ideally, it is necessary to liberate Ukraine, clear it of Nazis, as well as pro-Nazi people and ideology”, Peskov told reporters, when asked about how denazification should be interpreted. Peskov did not elaborate on whether Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is considered a “pro-Nazi” person, saying, “I…

The morning of February 24 was marked by a statement by Russian President V. Putin on the provision of military assistance to the Donetsk and Lugansk People’s Republics. The decision was made following the demands of the DPR and the LPR for military support. The main objectives outlined by the President are the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine and the protection of civilians in the DPR and LPR. At the moment, the situation indicates a military operation by the Russian Army. The territory enshrined in the constitutions of the DPR and LPR is being liberated from the Armed Forces of…

The escalation takes place amid continuing attacks by the Ukrainian military on the positions of the DPR and LPR and following the start of a Russian special operation aimed at protecting the Donbass republics. Two civilian ships sailing under the Russian flag were hit by Ukrainian missile strikes in the Sea of Azov, the Russian border service in the Kuban region has stated. “At 11am [8am GMT] on 24 February, 2022, Russian civilian cargo ships SGV-FLOT and SERAPHIM SAROVSKIY were subjected to a missile attack by the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the waters of the Sea of ​​Azov. The missiles…