The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

WAR: RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE UPDATE: AIR BASE NEAR KIEV REPORTED CAPTURED BY RUSSIANS

Posted on | February 24, 2022 | Comments Off on WAR: RUSSIA INVADES UKRAINE UPDATE: AIR BASE NEAR KIEV REPORTED CAPTURED BY RUSSIANS

Russia’s Putin announces
military operation in Ukraine
— Associated Press

Biden’s Own Aides Feared
His Sanctions Wouldn’t Stop Putin
— Bloomberg

Russia-Ukraine conflict live updates:
Ukraine battles Russian attack
on multiple fronts
— NBC News

This is not a “minor incursion.” Meanwhile, in America:

US President Joe Biden was meeting with G7 allies Thursday to hammer out a raft of new sanctions against Russia after it invaded Ukraine, and will later speak to the American people on a crisis that he warns will cause “catastrophic loss of life.”
The virtual, closed-door meeting of G7 leaders — Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States — was set to start at 9:00 am (1400 GMT), with Biden’s White House speech scheduled for early afternoon.
For weeks, as Russia built up tens of thousands of troops and heavy weapons on Ukraine’s border, Biden has led NATO and other European allies in trying to craft a package of what Washington says are “unprecedented” sanctions as a deterrent.
Now that the deterrent has failed, the effort is likely to see rapid escalation to inflict real pain on Russia’s already shaky economy.
“The United States and its allies and partners will respond in a united and decisive way. The world will hold Russia accountable,” Biden said in his first comments late Wednesday in Washington, after Russian missiles began to rain down on Ukraine.
Biden also held a phone call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky, saying afterwards that he had promised to “provide support and assistance to Ukraine and the Ukrainian people.”
The US president noted that Zelensky had requested him to “call on the leaders of the world to speak out clearly” against Putin’s “flagrant aggression.”

UPDATE 10 a.m. ET: The military situation in Ukraine is, as might be expected, currently confusing. It appears from initial reports that the Russian invasion began in earnest just before dawn local time. Not only are Russian forces advancing from the east, but also from the south and north. It appears an encircling attack on the Ukrainian capital of Kiev (Kyiv) is part of the Russian plan. The good news is that, despite the Russian advantage, outnumbered Ukrainian forces are fighting back, and Russian forces are suffering casualties as a result. The West can provide supplies to the Ukrainian resistance only so long as Ukrainians are willing to keep up the fight, and it is that willpower which will ultimately decide this war. The higher the cost for Russia, in terms of troops killed and wounded, the more likely that reaction in Russia could overturn Putin’s regime — which is the only real hope for Ukraine.

UPDATE 11 a.m. ET: It is now 6 p.m. in Ukraine, meaning that the Russian invasion has been under way for 14 hours. This included attacks on the Gostomel (Antonov) military airport and Boryspil civilian airport near Kiev. Some Russian helicopters were shot down during these attacks. It is reported that, Russian airborne troops have captured Antonov airport less than miles from Kiev.

UPDATE 12:25 p.m. ET: The Commander-in-Chief is scheduled to address the nation, just as soon as he can shuffle to his desk.




 

Category: Joe Biden, Military, Russia, Ukraine

Comments

Comments are closed.