Russia Invades Ukraine

2022 - 2 - 24

is ukraine in nato

Post cover — Image courtesy of "USA TODAY"

Why is Russia invading Ukraine? Could it be the start of WWIII ... (USA TODAY)

Major cities in Ukraine were covered in smoke as Russia invaded Thursday morning. But why is Russia invading Ukraine?

What can the west do about Russia invading Ukraine? (The Guardian)

Analysis: Immediate options seem limited and fraught with risk, but if Putin wants less Nato, he may ultimately end up with more.

Some diplomats are optimistic that, unlike with Syria in 2015, there will not be a political backlash, pointing out many Ukrainians have already been welcomed to Europe. As many as 15,000 Ukrainians already live in Berlin. But autocrats have learned that refugees are weapons of war. It symbolised the degree to which the UN has become utterly compromised. In his speech announcing the invasion, Putin warned outsiders tempted to interfere that there would be “consequences you have never encountered in your history” – a chilling veiled reference to nuclear war. There is only Putin.” Another said: “The only thing that will change Russian public opinion is the mothers of Russia seeing the bodybags.” Keir Giles, also from Chatham House, urged the west to be cautious. The coordinated sanctions in Washington, London, Berlin and Brussels being announced on Thursday are billed as massive, but Putin sits on a $600bn (£450bn) war chest and will benefit from oil prices soaring past $100 a barrel.

Russia invades Ukraine: Rises in prices of bread, meat, diamonds ... (Sky News)

Vladimir Putin has sent his troops over Ukraine's border, with missile strikes hitting several areas as Kyiv said it was under a "full-scale invasion".

Up to 50% of Germany's gas is Russian. Russia is the world's largest producer of nickel, used in the production of electric vehicle batteries, the world's second largest producer of platinum and the world's sixth-biggest producer of copper. And the top five goods imported to the UK from Russia were "unspecified goods" (£4.2bn), refined oil (£2.6bn), non-ferrous metals (£1.3bn), crude oil (£1bn) and gas (£558.7m). It's hard to see how households' real spending keeps rising," he said. The top five goods exported from the UK to Russia in the past year were cars (£386m), medicinal and pharmaceutical products (£272.2m), specialised machinery (£199.2m), mechanical power generators (£175.9m) and general industrial machinery (£131.5m). Belarus and Russia account for 38% of the world's supply of potash - the mined and manufactured salts used in fertiliser - so if the UK cannot physically get fertiliser there could be fewer crops to harvest, which could push food prices up. Russia also exports a large amount of coal and timber, the prices of which have already gone up in recent months. While the UK mainly imports liquified natural gas (LNG) for energy from Russia, nitrogen fertiliser uses natural gas so with the rise in gas prices comes a rise in fertiliser prices. UK food prices could see an almost immediate hike as Ukraine and Russia export much of the world's grain - and most of their ports have been shut down. A rise in gas prices could also push up the price of packaging, transport, manufacturing and processing costs as they all rely on oil and gas. Energy bills are already rising in the UK and across Europe and if less gas is available, that could push prices up even further. Russia invades Ukraine: Rises in prices of bread, meat, diamonds and gas - how the invasion will affect the UK

Determined Ukrainian Resistance Slows Russian Advance (unknown)

Ukraine is now fighting a multi-axis war against an invading Russian army with an estimated 200000 personnel. Western allies respond to Russia's attack.

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Russian Forces Move on Kyiv (unknown)

Protesters demonstrate outside the Embassy of the Russian Federation in London. Wiktor Szymanowicz/Getty Images. Russian military troops on Friday entered ...

He said he had no plans to talk with Putin, who would be a "pariah" on the international stage. UN Secretary-General António Guterres issued a plea to the Russian president, speaking both to journalists and on Twitter. "In the name of humanity bring your troops back to Russia," he said. "The people of Ukraine and the government of Ukraine want peace," Zelenskyy said during the emotional address. Later on Thursday, Biden gave an address in which he said the US would cut off Russian banks and stop Russia's ability to finance and grow its military. "Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will bring." He added, "this is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion." "For months, Russia has been holding a gun to Ukraine's head. "He has put himself on the wrong side of history." On Thursday, he called a meeting of the US National Security Council. Putin said the goal of the military operation is to demilitarize Ukraine but not occupy it. Countries in central Europe including Poland, Hungary and Slovakia prepared to receive an influx of refugees. The invasion began minutes after Putin declared the start of military operations after months of mounting tensions.

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Videos and images from Ukraine indicate strikes by several types of ballistic and cruise missile as Russian forces invade. Meanwhile, Russia has launched a ...

There have been few reports of air attacks so far, although news reporters in Kyiv have heard sirens sounding, and some have heard jets flying low overhead. After months of buildup and preparation the Russian invasion of Ukraine has started, with reports of military units crossing the border in the east of the country from Russian-backed separatist regions, from Crimea in the south and Belarus in the north. More alarmingly, videos show what appear to be the launch of Smerch long-range multiple rocket batteries toward Kharkiv and other locations in Ukraine. This is worrying because these are considerably less accurate than precision weapons like Kalibr and Iskander, with a correspondingly high chance of causing civilian casualties. This is an air-launched weapon that homes in on air-defense radar systems and would be one of the first missiles used to clear the way for subsequent attacks. Russia had reportedly moved at least four brigades of road-mobile missile launches into position around Ukraine. These are claimed to be highly accurate and strike at high speed, and were expected to be in the first wave of attacks against air bases, air defenses and military command centers. With a range of around a thousand miles, the Kalibr can strike targets well inland.