Taiwan Reports Chinese Aircraft in Its Air Defense Zone After Russia Invaded Ukraine

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Nine Chinese aircraft entered Taiwan’s air defense identification zone, Taiwan’s defense ministry said Thursday, on the same day that Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Tawian reported eight J-16 sorties and one Y-8 reconnaissance aircraft flying over an area to the northeast of the Pratas Islands, at the top end of the South China Sea, which prompted the island nation to scramble its air force. According to Reuters, the number of aircraft involved in the incursion is smaller than the last large-scale incident, when 39 Chinese aircraft flew into Taiwanese territory on Jan. 23.

China claims Taiwan, the seat of the exiled Republic of China government, as its own territory, and over the past two years it has regularly conducted fly-over missions in Taiwanese air space.

Taiwanese fighters were deployed to warn the Chinese aircraft to back off and air defense missiles were set up to “monitor the activities,” the defense ministry said, according to Reuters.

The government in Taipei is paying close attention to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the response from Western governments over concerns that China may use the situation to move against the island. (Read more from “Taiwan Reports Chinese Aircraft in Its Air Defense Zone After Russia Invaded Ukraine” HERE)

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Has Putin Miscalculated His Ability to Take Ukraine Swiftly?

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The invasion of Ukraine by the armed forces of Russia at Russian President Vladimir Putin’s orders marks the first time since 1945 that Russia has engaged in a conventional war with a near-peer nation. . .

Putin, by choosing to reach beyond the ethnic-Russian majority separatist provinces of Donetsk and Luhansk in the Donbas Basin, has decided to end the independent, Western-looking Ukrainian government of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and install a pro-Putin quisling.

And while the fog of war, some deliberate mis-and disinformation operations by the combatants, and the far-from-perfect filter of Western media leaves much unknown at this time, what is known is that Zelenskyy is still in power a day after the Russian offensive. Further, the Ukrainian military appears to be taking a toll on the Russians invading from three sides: south across the Pripyat Marshes from Russian satellite Belarus; west from Russia, including Donbas; and north from the Black Sea in the region of Odessa and Transnistria, a Russian client breakaway state in Moldavia.

Modern conventional war is extremely difficult to do well. Imagine being a conductor of an orchestra, all while the audience was lobbing soccer balls at you and your musicians as you perform J.S. Bach’s Chaconne in D — that’s modern warfare. Putin is attempting a highly complicated operation over large distances in the face of a determined foe. Further, he’s doing so with an army largely composed of conscripts serving for only one year.

Since Putin has decided to oust the Ukrainian government, this means that every day Zelenskyy remains in office is another day that adds to Ukrainian national confidence to resist — and another day that Putin looks to have miscalculated. (Read more from “Has Putin Miscalculated His Ability to Take Ukraine Swiftly?” HERE)

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Ukraine: Chernobyl Power Plant Has Been Captured by the Russians

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Russian forces have reportedly captured the Chernobyl power plant, an adviser to the Ukrainian presidential office said Thursday.

The announcement coincides with a full Russian invasion of Ukraine that began early Thursday after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced “a special military operation in Donbas.”

Shortly after Putin’s announcement, the Russian military descended upon Ukraine via land, sea and air, The New York Times reported. U.S. officials have predicted that Putin’s goal is to fully dismantle the Ukrainian government and replace Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy with someone controlled by Russia, the newspaper added.

Amid a continued Russian attack against Ukraine, the Ukrainian president has tweeted out updates. In one, he reported that “Russian occupation forces are trying to seize the” Chernobyl power plant, a highly radioactive zone with a nuclear reactor that melted in 1986 and sparked the worst nuclear reaction disaster in history.

(Read more from “Ukraine: Chernobyl Power Plant Has Been Captured by the Russians” HERE)

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Dutch Air Force Deploys Storied ‘MiG Killer’ To Eastern Europe

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The Royal Netherlands Air Force (RNLAF) is deploying two F-16AM Fighting Falcons and two armed F-35A Lightning II aircraft from Leeuwarden Air Base to further reinforce NATO’s presence across Eastern Europe.

The Dutch Ministry of Defense announced the plan to deploy the 5th generation jets to Graf Ignatievo Air Base in Bulgaria through March and April, according to the NATO Allied Air Command. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine Thursday altered these plans. It is now unclear whether the aircraft will go to Bulgaria, as the official statement from the Ministry of Defense noted they have been moved “in the vicinity of Poland,” the Aviationist reported.

The F-16s and F-35s are part of a contingent of eight aircraft to be deployed to protect NATO airspace in Eastern Europe at a moment’s notice, the outlet described. (Read more from “NYC Underground: Hundreds of People Are Living in Subway Stations and Tunnels, Survey Shows” HERE)

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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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