The following is a summary of the most important events that have occurred since Wednesday night, in chronological order and in Argentine time, in relation to the conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
– 23.50. “I have made the decision for a military operation,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said on television. He justified the attack on the alleged “genocide” of the Russian-speaking population in eastern Ukraine and urged the soldiers of this country to lay down their arms.
– 0.30. US President Joe Biden condemned the invasion in a statement. “Russia alone is responsible for the death and destruction this attack will cause” and “the world” will “hold it responsible,” he said.
– 0.40. Explosions began to be heard in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Mariupol and other cities in Ukraine. In several of them the alarm sirens were activated. Hours later, Ukrainian border guards would claim that Russian ground troops had entered the country.
– 1.00. “Putin has just launched a full-scale invasion; Ukraine will defend itself and win; the world can and must stop Putin,” Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmitri Kuleba said.
– 1.35. The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, declared martial law throughout the country, asked the population not to panic and broke off diplomatic relations with Russia.
– 2.10. Biden called Zelensky. He expressed his “support” for her and condemned “the unprovoked and unjustified attack.”
– 3.00. Zelensky called on the world to create an “anti-Putin coalition” to force Russia to respect peace.
– 3.05. Ukraine’s military said it had shot down five Russian planes and a helicopter in the east of the country. Russia said it had destroyed air defense systems and put Ukraine’s air bases “out of action.”
– 8.00. The UN Secretary General, António Guterres, had already spoken out against the attack; the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and the main European leaders. China said it was “closely monitoring” the situation and called on the parties to “restrain”.
– 8.00. Ukraine announced the closure of most of its ports. Russia reported the reinforcement of the protection of its nuclear power plants. A Putin spokesman said the “military operation” would last as long as necessary depending on its “results.”
– 8.00. Zelensky compared the Russian invasion to the actions of “Nazi Germany” during World War II and promised weapons to all citizens with combat experience.
– 10.00. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said Putin “made a serious mistake.” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance “has no troops in Ukraine and no plans to send troops” but decided to activate defense plans that allow rapid response forces to be relocated.
– 10.00. Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov by telephone that Beijing “understands Russia’s reasonable security concerns,” adding that his country “always respected the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries”.
– 10.00. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced the start of the evacuation of its embassy in Moscow.
– 11.30. The Vatican called for “avoiding the madness and horrors of war” and said there was still “room for negotiation.”
– 12.20. Russia occupied the Chernobyl nuclear exclusion zone, scene of the 1986 atomic disaster.
– 12.30. The Ukrainian Army reported fighting for control of a military base near Kiev and the Gostomel military airport.
– 12.30. They declared a curfew in Kiev between 22 and 7 local.
– 12.40. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konasehnkov said 74 military targets had been destroyed in Ukraine.
– 13.35. Russia promised a severe response to the sanctions announced by the European Union (EU), in a statement from its Foreign Ministry.
– 13.40. The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) called the invasion a “crime against humanity”. The UN reported that it decided to relocate some of its staff to Ukraine.
– 13.50. Putin told a group of businessmen that attacking Ukraine was the only alternative to defending Russia.
– 13.50. The G7 condemned the attack and said it constitutes “a serious threat to the international order.” The presidents of France, Emmanuel Macron, and Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, called for sanctions “on a par” with the aggression against Russia.
– 14.00. More than 1,500 people were arrested in Russia for protesting the attack on Ukraine, according to the humanitarian NGO OVD-Info.
– 14.30. IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva has warned of the “significant economic risk” of a war in Ukraine.
– 15.45. Biden said that Putin “chose war and will suffer the consequences.”
– 15.45. The United Kingdom closed its airspace to the Russian airline Aeroflot, froze the assets of Russian banks and arms manufacturers, and sanctioned five other Russian businessmen. Prime Minister Boris Johnson called Putin a “dictator” who “will never be able to wash his hands of the blood of Ukraine.”
– 15.45. Leaders of the 27 EU countries agreed to “massive and severe” sanctions on Russia.
– 19.00. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimated that nearly 100,000 Ukrainians fled their homes after the attack. Its head, Filippo Grandi, had earlier warned of “devastating” consequences for civilians and called on neighboring governments to keep borders open to welcome refugees.
