Why Is Russia Invading Ukraine? Explaining the Roots of a Long-Simmering Conflict

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. . .Russia’s invasion of Ukraine was a massive escalation of a conflict that has been simmering since Russia’s 2014 annexation of Crimea.

At issue are two separatist states — Donetsk and Luhansk — that have been in open, if muted, conflict with Kyiv since 2014, as well as larger questions about Russia’s sphere of influence and Ukraine’s place in greater Europe. . .

But the conflict as we know it began in 2013, when then-Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych backed out of an expected economic deal with the European Union, opting instead to strike a deal with Russia. . .

Putin simultaneously declared Crimea, which had been made a part of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic during the Soviet era, to be part of Russia — and invaded the peninsula in late February and March 2014.

Putin’s annexation of the Crimean peninsula, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea, was widely denounced by the international community, which still recognizes the territory as being part of Ukraine. (Read more from “Why Is Russia Invading Ukraine? Explaining the Roots of a Long-Simmering Conflict” HERE)

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57 Dead, 169 Wounded From Russian Attack, Ukrainian Health Minister Says

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Less than 24 hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in Ukraine, the former Soviet Union nation’s health minister is reporting 57 dead and more than a hundred injured.

Ukrainian Health Minister Viktor Lyashko reported that 57 Ukrainians have died and 169 have been injured so far since Russia attacked Ukraine, The Associated Press reported.

The injuries included noncombat and combat injuries, Lyashko said, according to NBC News, which noted that it was not clear how many of those casualties came from civilians compared to military service members.

Health care facilities were being repurposed so that those who needed medical attention could receive it, the Ukrainian health minister said, according to the AP.

The development comes shortly after Putin ordered a military operation in Ukraine in an address early Thursday morning Moscow time. Prior to Putin’s remarks, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made an emotional plea for peace, saying “The government in Ukraine wants peace and is doing everything it can to build it.” (Read more from “57 Dead, 169 Wounded From Russian Attack, Ukrainian Health Minister Says” HERE)

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Russia Announces ‘Special Military Operation’; Explosions in Ukraine; Putin Issues Stark Warning Against Western Intervention; Biden: ‘World Will Hold Russia Accountable’

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By Breitbart. On Wednesday, a live report on “CNN Tonight” by CNN senior international correspondent Matthew Chance from Kyiv, Ukraine captured the sound of explosions in the distance.

Chance said, “This is the first time. This is the first time that we’ve heard anything. It’s been absolutely silent in this city throughout the course of tonight, and for the past several weeks, we’ve not seen anything at all. In fact, I’ve never heard anything like this in Kyiv for the years that I’ve been coming here and reporting from here. So, this is the first time.” (Read more from “Russia Announces ‘Special Military Operation’; Explosions in Ukraine” HERE)

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Reports of Explosions in Key Cities, Putin Issues Stark Warning Against Western Intervention

By Daily Caller. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced early Thursday morning in Russia that he had decided to conduct “a special military operation in Donbas.” Minutes later, reports rang out of explosions in Kyiv, the capitol of Ukraine, and the Ukrainian interior minister announced that “the invasion has begun.”

Putin, speaking around 5:30 a.m. local time, called on Ukraine to “lay down its arms” and said his goal is not to occupy Ukraine, but to “demilitarize and de-Nazify” the country. The Russian president also warned against interference – presumably speaking to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization) and the U.S. – promising that “Russia’s response will be immediate and will lead you to such consequences as you have never before experienced in your history.”

“We are ready for all outcomes. All decisions have been made,” Putin added, according to a translation of his remarks. (Read more from “Reports of Explosions in Key Cities, Putin Issues Stark Warning Against Western Intervention” HERE)

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Biden Says ‘World Will Hold Russia Accountable’ Over Ukraine Attack

By Breitbart. US President Joe Biden on Wednesday said the “world will hold Russia accountable” over a military onslaught against Ukraine that he warned will cause “catastrophic loss of life.”

In a statement issued shortly after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of military operations in Ukraine, Biden said he would address the US public Thursday to outline the “consequences” for Russia, calling the attack “unprovoked and unjustified.”

Biden also held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky soon after explosions were heard in multiple parts of the country, which is sandwiched between Russia and NATO member Poland, the White House said.

The US president was due to join a virtual, closed-door meeting of G7 leaders — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — at 9:00 am (1400 GMT) Thursday. The White House said his remarks to the nation would come in the early afternoon in Washington.

The G7 meeting is likely to result in more sanctions against Russia, which has long claimed it would not invade Ukraine, despite putting a huge force of tens of thousands of soldiers and heavy weaponry on the country’s borders, while insisting that the Ukrainian government abandon its pro-Western ambitions. (Read more from “Biden Says ‘World Will Hold Russia Accountable’ Over Ukraine Attack” HERE)

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Ontario Freedom Convoy Donors Published on Google Maps

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Locations of the Freedom Convoy donors in Ontario, Canada, have been published on Google Maps after the names of those who gave money to the crowdfunding platform GiveSendGo were leaked online.

The Google Maps link contains thousands of pins pointing to locations of donors throughout the Canadian province, with each pin listing their names, donor ID, email address, and the amount they donated, including those as low as $10.

(Read more from “Ontario Freedom Convoy Donors Published on Google Maps” HERE)

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European Allies Declare Russian Attack on Ukraine Threat to NATO Territory Under Article 4

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By Washington Examiner. A group of European countries are invoking the provision of NATO’s founding treaty that requires allies to hold consultations whenever “the security of any of the Parties is threatened,” in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Poland and the Baltic states — Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania — are invoking that provision, the Washington Examiner has learned, in order to spur additional fortifications for the NATO member states nearest to the war zone. The invocation of that treaty provision reflects their anxiety about whether the Russian assault could spill beyond the territory of Ukraine, which is not a member of NATO, into one of the countries within the trans-Atlantic alliance.

“Who can be sure what’s happening in his head?” a European official, speaking to the Washington Examiner on condition of anonymity, said in reference to Putin. “He started a war in the middle of Europe to demilitarize a neighboring country. Are we sure that that’s it? It’s always better to invest in deterrence [rather] than, when the conflict has started, to invest in fighting the conflict.”

The embattled country of Ukraine shares a border with four NATO member states. The Baltic states do not border Ukraine, but Lithuania and Latvia share a border with Belarus, which is hosting Russian forces, and Latvia and Estonia border Russia. Lithuania and Poland also share a border with Kaliningrad, a district of Russian sovereign territory on the Baltic Sea that does not connect by land to the rest of Russia. (Read more from “European Allies Declare Russian Attack on Ukraine Threat to NATO Territory Under Article 4” HERE)

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Ukrainian Military Says Five Russian Aircraft and Helicopter Shot Down

By Washington Examiner. Russia’s military forces began an attack on Ukraine early Thursday morning local time, just moments after Russian President Vladimir Putin appeared on video to announce a “special military operation” stretching across the embattled eastern region of Donbas and beyond.

Explosions could be heard across parts of Ukraine, including the capital of Kyiv, where Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said hours earlier he had reached out to Putin seeking peace only to be met with “silence.” The volleys included cruise and ballistic missiles, according to Ukrainian officials, who also told reporters that Russian troops landed in the port city of Odessa, which is across the Black Sea from Crimea, and crossed the border into Kharkiv in the northeast, NBC News reported.

Hours into the assault, Ukraine’s military claimed that five Russian aircraft and a helicopter were shot down early Thursday, according to CNN, while Russia’s state-run news agency TASS denied the claims. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, a senior Ukrainian Interior Ministry official said, “You can be certain that hundreds of Ukrainian service members have already died from the Russian strikes.”

Meanwhile, in the financial sector, stocks took a dive, while oil prices jumped.

President Joe Biden, who warned Russia of more punishing sanctions if it conducted a full-on invasion of Ukraine, is receiving regular updates on the situation in Ukraine and issued a statement vowing that the “world will hold Russia accountable.” With the attack stretching from the predawn hours into daylight and air raid sirens blaring in Kyiv, Zelensky announced that he had just spoken with Biden and declared martial law while urging the Ukrainian people to remain calm. (Read more from “Ukrainian Military Says Five Russian Aircraft and Helicopter Shot Down” HERE)

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Ukraine Declares Martial Law, Shut Downs Air Space Amid Russia Attack

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Ukraine imposed martial law Wednesday night as Russian forces launched offenses across the country, according to Dutch outlet BNO.

A nationwide state of emergency had been in effect, giving officials extra powers to impose restrictions. Under martial law, military leaders are the absolute authorities of Ukraine’s civilians.

Ukraine’s air space was closed after Russia struck multiple cities with explosives, National Defense and Security Council Chief Oleksiy Danilov said, according to The Kyiv Independent.

“In particular, there is a risk of both intentional targeting and misidentification of civil aircraft,” the European Union Aviation Safety Agency said, adding it was monitoring developments and would adjust its recommendations.

“As a precautionary measure, operators should exercise extreme caution and avoid using the airspace within 100NM of the Bielorussian and Russia-Ukraine border.” (Read more from “Ukraine Declares Martial Law, Shut Downs Air Space Amid Russia Attack” HERE)

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Canada’s Trudeau Revoking ‘Use’ of Emergencies Act

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Wednesday that the Emergencies Act, invoked in response to truckers protesting COVID-19 restrictions and vaccine mandates, would no longer be in use.

“The situation is no longer an emergency, therefore the federal government will be ending the use of the Emergencies Act,” Trudeau told reporters during a press conference. “We are confident that existing laws and bylaws are sufficient.”

The decision follows the violent clearing of the Freedom Convoy and other protesters from the Canadian capital city of Ottawa by local and federal police that injured several civilians.

Trudeau first invoked the Emergencies Act on Monday of last week, citing economic disruptions caused by the presence of the truckers as well as the alleged threat to “public safety” posed by the protesters. The act vastly expanded the powers of Canadian authorities to crack down on protesters, allowing them to direct banks to freeze accounts, impose fines and prison sentences, and cordon off certain areas of the city. (Read more from “Canada’s Trudeau Revoking ‘Use’ of Emergencies Act” HERE)

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Trump on Ukraine Invasion: ‘This Is Something That Should Have Never Happened’

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Wednesday, on the heels of reports that Russia had launched a “full-scale invasion” of Ukraine, former President Donald Trump proclaimed Russian President Vladimir Putin would not have acted in this way under his leadership. . .

“This is something that should have never happened,” he said. “This would not have happened during my administration. In fact, some people were saying, why didn’t this take place over the past four years during my administration? And it didn’t for a very good reason. I’ll explain that to you someday. But it wouldn’t have taken place, and it wouldn’t have taken place right now. It’s a very sad thing for the world, the country, and it is certainly sad for a lot of people that are going to be needlessly killed.” (Read more from “Trump on Ukraine Invasion: ‘This Is Something That Should Have Never Happened’” HERE)

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Report: Government Officials Secretly Believe Lab-Leak Caused COVID Pandemic

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A British chemical weapons expert is alleging that behind closed doors government officials in London believe a lab-leak led to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a former British Army officer who commanded the United Kingdom’s Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, told the Telegraph that he believes the official view within the British government is that a lab-leak theory was most likely the cause of the global pandemic. However, he said there’s significant concern about coming out and saying so publicly.

“I think the official view [within Government] is that it is as likely as anything else to have caused the pandemic. A lot of people like myself think it is more likely. I think attitudes have changed a little bit. The zoonotic transfer theory just didn’t make sense,” he told the Telegraph. “There is a huge amount of concern about coming out publicly, but behind closed doors most people think it’s a lab leak. And they are coming round to the fact that even if they don’t agree with that, they must accept it’s likely, and they must make sure the policies are in place to stop it.”

De Bretton-Gordon submitted evidence to the government for its new biosecurity strategy to handle “accidental release and dual-use research of concern, where life science research is capable of being misapplied to do harm.” One type of dual-use research is the kind of gain-of-function research that was happening at the Wuhan Institute of Virology (WIV) prior to the coronavirus pandemic, where dangerous pathogens were being genetically altered to make them more dangerous to humans. (Read more from “Report: Government Officials Secretly Believe Lab-Leak Caused COVID Pandemic” HERE)

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Romania Prepared to Accept 500,000 Ukrainian Refugees: Report

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Romania is prepared to accept 500,000 Ukrainian refugees, the country’s Defense Minister Vasile Dincu told reporters Tuesday.

According to a report from Reuters, Dincu said “there are several estimates, but we could receive over 500,000 refugees, that is…the number for which we have prepared alongside the interior ministry and other institutions.”

Dincu added that “there is a plan prepared for all large cities, there are areas for this near the borders.”

Romania shares approximately 380 miles of border with Ukraine. Reuters noted that the country saw “relatively few” Ukrainian refugees when Russia annexed the Crimean Peninsula in February and March 2014.

“We are also not expecting a major influx coming here now, but one never knows,” Dincu told reporters. (Read more from “Romania Prepared to Accept 500,000 Ukrainian Refugees: Report” HERE)

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