The territory of Ukraine is in an extremely dangerous situation, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitri Peskov, explaining that the army acts as terrorists because they install multiple rocket launchers in Kiev and Kharkov, under the advice of foreign experts.
Given this situation, Vladimir Putin exhorted the Ukrainian military: “Do not allow the neo-Nazis and ultra-nationalists to use your children, wives and the elderly as human shields, take power in their hands. It seems that it will be easier to come to terms with you than with this gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who stayed in Kiev and took the entire Ukrainian people hostage,” Russia Today quoted.
The head of state pointed out that the main combats of the Russian Army are carried out “not against regular units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but against nationalist formations, which, as is known, bear direct responsibility for the genocide in Donbas and the blood of civilian citizens of the people’s republics.
He highlighted reports that neo-Nazis are deploying heavy weapons in central areas of major cities, including Kiev and Kharkiv, to provoke Russian military return fire against residential neighborhoods. “They act in the same way as terrorists around the world: they hide behind the people in the hope of blaming Russia for victims among the civilian population,” Putin said.
Pope Francis visited the Russian Embassy in the Vatican to meet with the head of the diplomatic mission, Alexander Avdeev, and discuss the situation in Ukraine. The pontiff assured that he is closely observing the development of events in Ukraine and expressed concern about the escalation after the start of the military operation ordered this Thursday by Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Likewise, the presidents of Russia and China, Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, held a telephone conversation to analyze the Ukrainian crisis, in a constructive and friendly atmosphere.
Xi stressed that he respects Russia’s actions in the crisis in the neighboring country and showed the coincidence of the two countries’ positions on the main issues on the international agenda, the Kremlin said in its statements.
sanctions against Russia
The Council of Europe suspends Russia’s membership amid its military operation in Ukraine, a move proposed by Poland and Ukraine that won the consensus of 42 of the 47 committee members.
The leaders of the countries of the European Union agreed at an emergency summit to impose new economic sanctions against Moscow after the start of the military operation launched by Russia to defend Donbas.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, declared that this second package of sanctions from the bloc will affect 70% of the banking market and the main state-owned companies in Russia, including those in the defense sector.
RT also highlighted the words of UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss, who warned that London will continue to take action until the Russian economy deteriorates and the integrity of the Ukrainian territory is restored. “We will not rest until the Russian economy has been degraded and the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine have been restored,” said the head of British diplomacy.
Sputnik also pointed to the measures taken by Poland, which closed its airspace for Russian planes, while Switzerland prohibited establishing financial operations with 363 natural persons and four Russian legal entities.
For his part, the Russian Foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov, accused NATO and the European Union of supporting Kiev in recent weeks, when it decided to seize the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Lugansk People’s Republic by force, to destroy the Minsk agreements. “The West fully supports the Kiev regime in its efforts to sabotage and ultimately destroy the Minsk Agreements,” Sputnik quoted.
However, no country in the transatlantic alliance wants to get involved in a war with Russia, according to statements by French Defense Minister Florence Parly, recalling that the Eurasian nation is a nuclear power.
