Ukraine - Russia crisis news summary: 18 February 2022
Ukraine crisis: live updates
Ukraine - Russia crisis: headlines
- As tensions increase, Russian and European energy dependence pose challenges for possible EU sanctions.
- Russiaexpels second highest ranking US diplomat from country as tensions rise in the region
- US urges remaining citizens to leave Ukraine while commercial air travel is still an option.
- A Russian invasion could send the price for oil up across the globe, including in the United States.
- Possibility of Russian invasion makes for a rough week on Wall Street
- Media must focus on urging a diplomatic solution to the conflict
What you need to know about the conflict
- What is a false flag operation? Has one ever started a war?
- How many time zones are there in Russia?
Russia & UkraineGeography 101
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Russia "poised to strike" Ukraine
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Saturday that Russia's military was "poised to strike" Ukraine, even as he voiced hope that Russian President Vladimir Putin would step back from the brink of war.
Austin vowed Washington would stand with its Baltic allies during a visit to Lithuania on Saturday, as the region anxiously weighed the risks of a possible invasion. Russia denies planning any attacks.
"I want everyone in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia to know - and I want President (Vladimir) Putin in the Kremlin to know - that the United States stands with our allies," Austin told a news conference in Vilnius, after talks with Lithuanian leaders.
(Reuters)
Russia "will only get more NATO" - Stoltenberg
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned Russia it “will only get more NATO”, amid fears of a Russian invasion of Ukraine which, it is believed, would in part be motivated by the Kremlin’s desire to prevent its neighbouring country from joining the organisation.
“Standing together in NATO, Europe and America will continue to keep the peace and protect our democratic way of life, as we have done for more than 70 years,” Stoltenberg told the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.
“NATO is a defensive alliance. We are not threatening Russia or anyone else. But we will take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies.
“This is why in response to Russia’s pattern of aggressive actions, we have been strengthening our deterrence and defence across the alliance. To avoid any miscalculation or misunderstanding about our ironclad commitment to defend each other.
"So if Kremlin’s aim is to have less NATO on Russia’s borders, it will only get more NATO. And if it wants to divide NATO, it will only get an even more united Alliance.”
The US government has urged American citizens in Ukraine to leave the country, but has conceded it does not know how many are actually there.
Russia rejects US claims it was behind Ukraine cyberattacks
Russia has refuted US allegations that it was responsible for cyberattacks on Ukrainian banking and government websites.
"We categorically reject these baseless statements of the administration and note that Russia has nothing to do with the mentioned events and in principle has never conducted and does not conduct any 'malicious' operations in cyberspace," the Russian embassy in the United States said on Twitter on Saturday.
US Deputy National Security Advisor Anne Neuberger said on Friday that Russian military intelligence was behind the recent spate of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks that briefly knocked Ukrainian banking and government websites offline.
(Reuters)
Reports are circulating online that gas pipeline was hit with an explosion in a small city in the People’s Republic of Luhansk, a Russian backed separatist territory in eastern Ukraine.
The severity of the incident is unknown, but new information is showing that it was a very small residential pipeline, not anything large enough to carry gas to Europe. Javier Blas, a reporter at Bloomberg tweeted that only ninety-five clients had been impacted by the explosion.
While this event may not pose create any shortages in Europe, it does call into question the ways in which damage to pipelines or Moscow shutting off the pipelines could impact the continent's energy security. Read more
Will the US send troops to fight Russia in Ukraine?
We’re calling out Russia’s plans loudly and repeatedly, not because we want a conflict, but because we’re doing everything in our power to remove any reason that Russia may give to justify invading Ukraine and prevent them from moving.
Make no mistake: If Russia pursues its plans, it will be responsible for a catastrophic and needless war of choice. The United States and our Allies are prepared to defend every inch of NATO territory from any threat to our collective security as well.
We also will not send troops in to fight in Ukraine, but we will continue to support the Ukrainian people.
Ukrainian response to Biden's phrasing during his address on the conflict.
While the door to diplomacy remains open, according to President Biden, he is convinced that President Putin has decided to move forward with an invasion.
What did President Biden say during his speech about Ukraine?
President Biden wrapped up his press conference on the situation in Ukraine rather quickly on Friday afternoon. The President was over forty minutes late, prompting questions on whether the administration was collecting more information before the quick speech.
No new information was provided, but Biden did confirm that it is his belief that Vladimir Putin has made up his mind and will move forward with an invasion.
Question: Should President Zelenskyy leave Ukraine?
Biden: "It may be unwise to leave."
Biden believes that Putin has made up his mind on moving forward with an invasion.
Q: You are convinced that Putin is going to invade?
Biden: Yes. "Diplomacy is always a possibility"
Q: Should Zelenskyy leave Ukraine?
Biden: "It may be unwise to leave."
Biden believes that Putin has made up his mind on moving forward with an invasion.
Biden will now take questions
President Biden says that if Russia invades before February 24th the door to diplomacy will be closed and the US and EU allies will impsoe harsh sanctions.
"Russia can still choose diplomacy."
"We will hold Russia accountable for its actions."
BIden "No troops will be sent to Ukraine" however, if any NATO ally is attacked, US forces will defend the territory
More than 150,000 troops are on Ukraine's border
Russian state TV is promoting a message that Ukraine is planning an attack and have accused the government of committing genocide.
Major uptick in violations in the ceasefire
The shelling of a Ukrainian kindergarten, for example.
Biden has been on two vital calls
1. Bipartisan group representing the US at the Munich Security Council
2. Meeting with EU leaders to discuss security threats and their unity in standing with Ukraine.
Gas Pipeline has exploded in Eastern Ukraine, according to Russian state TV
BREAKING NEWS: A gas pipeline in eastern Ukraine, Luhansk, has exploded. Julia Davis a reporter at The Daily Beast tweeted saying that just earlier today a Russian backed separatist leader went on state TV to explain that Ukrainanes are taught by the West to blwo up infrastructure.
Will US troops be sent to Ukraine if Russia invades?
No. While the US and other NATO allies have sent arms to Ukraine, troops will not be sent to the country in the case of an invasion. However, the US is sending many troops to Europe, specifically Poland, in the case fighting began to breakout in other countries in Europe.
Ukraine/Russsia conflict leads stocks to trend downward
Explosion leads Russian back separatists to call for the evacuation of citizens to Russia
After a car explosion in Donetsk in the eastern part of Ukraine, separatists leaders called for citizens to be evacuated to Russia. The leaders also said that Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was planning a military strike, an action the President categorically denied.
The United States believes that this act could form part of a false flag operation Russia is creating to provide the pretext for an invasion.
When will President Biden address the nation?
President Biden will address the nation of 4:00 PM ET from the White House to discuss the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine. Watch the address live below and follow along for our live coverage.
First buses carrying people evacuated from east Ukraine arrive in Russia
The first buses carrying people evacuated from separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine arrived in Russia's Rostov region late on Friday, state news agency TASS reported.
The self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic announced a mass evacuation of the region's residents to Russia earlier on Friday after an increase in shelling.
Separatist forces and Ukrainian government forces blamed each other for the spike in tensions. The self-proclaimed Luhansk People's Republic also issued a evacuation statement for its residents on Friday.
Bart Gorman, the No.2 US diplomat in Russia, was expelled from Moscow on Thursday, as American-Russo relations continue to plumb new depths.
Washington said the move was 'unprovoked' and would be responded to in turn, while Russia argued that it was justified by the US expelling a senior Russian official.
The State Department spokesperson said Gorman had a valid visa and had been in Russia for less than three years, as Russia had said diplomats who had been in Russia more than three years would be expelled at the end of January 2022.
Russia spreading 'disinformation' on Ukraine planning attacks, Kiev says
Reuters - Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Friday accused Russia of spreading disinformation that Kyiv planned to launch attacks in eastern Ukraine or sabotage chemical plans in the region.
"We categorically refute Russian disinformation reports on Ukraine's alleged offensive operations or acts of sabotage...Ukraine does not conduct or plan any such actions in the Donbass (region)," he said on Twitter.
Kuleba did not specify which reports he was referring to.
Putin tells Ukraine to sit down for talks with Moscow-backed separatists
Reuters - Russian President Vladimir Putin told Ukraine on Friday to sit down for negotiations with Moscow-backed separatists in Ukraine's east, citing rising tensions in the region and calling for the implementation of the Minsk peace process.
At a news conference in Moscow, Putin also said Russia was ready to follow a negotiation track with NATO on its security demands, but that the US-led military alliance and Washington were not yet in a mood to engage on Moscow's key concerns.
Photo: AFP
Citizens in breakaway republic to be evacuated to Russia
People in the rebel-held city of Donetsk, in eastern Ukraine, will be evacuated to Russia, the area's leader has said.
Denis Pushilin, who is head of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DNR), announced on social media that Russia had agreed to provide accommodation for people leaving.
"Hgh time to de-escalate," says Secretary General of UN
US claims nearly 200,000 Russian soldiers on Ukrainian border
The statement from he US to the OSCE council read: "We assess that Russia probably has massed between 169,000-190,000 personnel in and near Ukraine as compared with about 100,000 on January 30. This estimate includes military troops along the border, in Belarus, and in occupied Crimea; Russian National Guard and other internal security units deployed to these areas; and Russian-led forces in eastern Ukraine."
US willing to accept its alarms are false
President Biden and his top aides acknowledge that they are risking American credibility as they constantly renew the alarm that Russia is only “several days” away from triggering a land war in Europe that could plunge the world back into something resembling the Cold War.
The Dow down more than 600 points on Thursday
The stock market did not respond well to increased tensions between Ukraine and Russia on Thursday, closing out around 600 points lower than Wednesday.
While many are focused on the possible market implications of the possible invasion, focus should be on the people of Ukraine who find themselves in a dangerous and volatile geopolitical conflict.
Rally outside United Nations in support of Ukraine
Around 200 people gathered for a peaceful show of solidarity and support for the people of Ukraine outside the United Nations in New York on Thrusday. Many were from or have family in Ukraine which is surrounded by Russian forces numbering as many as 150,000. A larger rally is schedule to take place in Washington DC on Sunday.
On Sunday President Joe Biden’s national security advisor Jake Sullivan warned that a Russian invasion into Ukraine could come “any day now,” heightening fears of military action in Eastern Europe. A number of nations have advised citizens to leave Ukraine immediately and the US embassy in Kyiv has been closed.
Markets down as investor move money to safer assets
Investors began shifting capital into US government debt and gold late in Thursday's session driving the major indexes down. This came as tensions between the US and Russia flared at the UN Security Council and conflicting reports from both Ukraine and Russia of mortars fired in eastern Ukraine between pro-government and Russian-backed separatists.
Leaning into diplomacy to resolve crisis in Ukraine
The UN Security Council met on Thursday to address the potential invasion of Ukraine by the 150,000-plus Russian forces amassed on the border. Secretary of State Antony Blinken was supposed to travel to Munich, Germany to attend the Munich Security Conference but changed his plans to address the 15-member council.
US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield talked with the other members of the council to prepare them for what Blinken would say. She told them that this is not a Cold War confrontation between Russia and the US. This is about the UN living up to its charter and upholding the values that all nations have signed onto.
AS USA's dedicated Russia-Ukraine live feed
The situation in Eastern Europe is thought to be very fluid with Russian forces remaining camped out along the Ukrainian border. In recent days a spokesperson from the Russian Defence Ministry claimed that troops were being withdrawn from the region, but President Biden has warned that he is yet to see any clear proof of that.