Features: The Roar of Guns on Ukrainian Land
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Months of tension in eastern Ukraine exploded into a full-blown war. Russia deployed troops to invade its neighboring country. What is the world's reaction?
1. War broke out, blood was spilled
It all started with domestic political rivalry. Two regions of eastern Ukraine controlled by pro-Russian separatists, Donetsk and Luhanks, declared themselves independent regions. They also celebrated when Moscow recognized this independence.
Donetsk and Luhanks became countries with the names Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR). This recognition of independence immediately sparked a feud between Ukraine and Russia. Inter-regional tensions are increasingly unstoppable.
The peak occurred on Thursday. President Vladimir Putin on Thursday (24/2/2022) ordered the Russian military to carry out special operations in the Donbass region, eastern Ukraine. "Circumstances require us to take firm and immediate action," said Putin, as reported by Russia Today.
War broke out. Ukrainian land became a battlefield for troops and weapons. On Monday (28/2/2022), the Russian invasion entered its fifth day. The Kiev military confirmed that the military base in Vasylkiv came under artillery attack from Moscow troops.
In a Facebook post, quoted by Reuters, the General Staff of the Ukrainian Armed Forces said members of the defense forces at the Vasylkiv military air base southwest of Kiev resisted artillery and other attacks from Moscow forces.
Earlier, Ukraine's Health Ministry said on Sunday that 352 civilians, including 14 children, had been killed since the start of Moscow's invasion. It also said that 1,684 people, including 116 children, were injured.
The United Nations Security Council on Sunday called the United States a rare emergency special session of the 193-member General Assembly on Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
An emergency special session will be held on Monday, as Western allies step up a diplomatic campaign to isolate Moscow. The vote by the 15-member council was procedural so Russia could not use its veto power.
A resolution convening the General Assembly session was adopted with 11 yes votes. Russia voted no, while China, India and the United Arab Emirates abstained.
Meanwhile Ukraine stated that the Russian military had suffered a number of casualties and several soldiers were captured by opposing forces during ongoing military operations in Ukraine. This statement was made by the spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense (Kemhan), Major General Igor Konashenkov, on Sunday (27/2/2022).
"Since the launch of the operation, (the Russian military) has destroyed 254 tanks and other armored fighting vehicles, 31 aircraft on the ground, 46 multiple launch rocket systems, 103 artillery and mortar units, 164 special military vehicles," explained Konashenkov, as reported by RT. com.
The official did not specify the number of Russian troop casualties, only stating they were “several times fewer than the number of eliminated (Ukrainian) nationalists,” as well as casualties suffered by regular Ukrainian military forces.
A small number of Russian soldiers had been taken prisoner by Ukrainian forces, Konashenkov acknowledged and condemned the treatment they received at the hands of opposing forces.
2. Zelensky, Comedian with Big Guts
No more comedy stages for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. What he faced this time was no joke, a country with a superpower, Russia. Even more surprising is the figure behind it, Vladimir Putin.
Calculated from any point of view, Ukraine is considered to have lost everything to Russia. Mathematical calculations of the military power map, Ukraine is almost nothing. But Zelensky is no vegetable chicken. He chose to wear a bulletproof vest and be among his soldiers.
When many people doubted his abilities, Zelensky stood tall. He didn't seem to care who he was facing. Putin's big name even seems like a nobody. He even emphasized that he would face invasion in the modern era.
Considering the background, this is certainly surprising. Long before entering politics, he was a comedian. Comedian. But time brought him into the world spotlight.
"(The enemy) has marked me as target number one," Zelenskiy warned in a video message, as quoted by Reuters. "My family is target number two. They want to destroy Ukraine politically by destroying the head of state. I will stay in the capital. My family is also in Ukraine," he stressed.
Zelenskiy previously had a career as a comedian or comedian with no political experience. He received the most votes in the first round of Ukraine's presidential election. According to a poll from the Kiev International Institute of Sociology and public opinion organization Razumkov, the comedian is ahead of 39 other candidates with 30.4 percent of the vote.
Zelenskiy, as in his role as a comedian, has made corruption the focus of his candidacy. He proposed a lifetime ban on holding public office for anyone convicted of corruption. He also called for direct negotiations with Russia to end fighting in eastern Ukraine.
"A new life, a normal life is starting," Zelenskiy said after he voted in Kiev. "A life without corruption, without bribery," he said again. The vote in Ukraine has been overshadowed by accusations of widespread vote buying.
Police said they had received more than 1,600 complaints of violations on election day in addition to hundreds of previous claims of voting fraud, including bribery attempts and removing ballots from polling stations.
Now, the world is waiting, will Zelenskiy be able to bring his country safely from the onslaught of Russian troops or will he be displaced from his position. On Thursday, Zelenskiy severed Ukraine's diplomatic ties with Russia, following the invasion by Moscow's troops
On the other hand, for years, Russia has asked Western countries to investigate cases of human rights violations, illegal killings and war crimes committed by the Ukrainian authorities who came to power after the 2014 coup.
Moscow points to many of these cases as being perpetrated by neo-Nazis against Russian citizens or Russian-speaking people in Ukraine.
When Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the start of a special operation to protect the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) on February 24, he described the goal as the "demilitarization and denazification" of Ukraine.
His spokesman later explained that "denazification" meant Russia planned to rid Ukraine of neo-Nazis, their supporters and their ideology, which it considered dangerous.
Moscow has repeatedly warned foreign countries about neo-Nazis taking over Ukraine after a Western-backed coup in 2014. However, Western countries have chosen to ignore the various human rights violations committed by the Kiev regime.
3. United World Excludes Russia
The Russian invasion drew world condemnation. A number of countries are busy imposing sanctions on the country led by Vladimir Putin. Those who have imposed economic sanctions include the United States (US), European Union (EU), England, Australia, Canada and Japan.
Sanctions imposed over Russia's decision to bombard Ukraine. The world sanctions were imposed targeting large banks, wealthy Russian individuals and state officials. Meanwhile Germany has stopped a large gas pipeline project from Russia.
The following are details of the sanctions imposed on Russia by a number of countries:
1. United States sanctions against Russia
President Joe Biden announces 'phase one' of sanctions for Russia. Biden signed an executive order under which every institution in Russia's financial services sector was targeted for further sanctions. It is known that more than 80% of Russia's daily foreign exchange transactions and half of its trades are carried out in US dollars.
Washington imposed sanctions on two Russian state-owned banks, namely the state development bank Vnesheconombank (VEB) and the Public Joint Stock Company Promsvyazbank (PSB). According to the Associated Press, VEB is crucial to Russia's ability to raise funds, while PSB is crucial to Russia's defense sector.
The two banks are said to have combined assets worth more than USD 80 billion and will be prohibited from carrying out transactions in the US and European banking systems. The bank is considered very close to the Kremlin and the Russian military, with sanctions also including freezing all assets under US jurisdiction.
Apart from that, the US also imposed sanctions on a number of specific members of the Russian 'elite'. The sanctions will apply to Russian 'elites' and their family members, as well as civilian leaders in Russia's leadership hierarchy. Sanctions also target blocking Russian sovereign debt in US and European markets.
2. The European Union imposes sanctions on Russia
The European Union unanimously announced initial sanctions on 351 Russian politicians who recognize the independence of Donetsk and Luhansk in Eastern Ukraine, as well as 27 other Russian officials and institutions from the defense and banking sectors. The European Union is also trying to limit Moscow's access to the capital and financial markets of European Union countries.
The imposition of these sanctions will also freeze assets and block access to Russian banks in Europe. The target is that 70% of the banking market and Russian-owned companies will be closed in Europe.
3. England Punishes Russia with Harsh Sanctions
Large Russian banks will be expelled from the British financial system, and the ranks of Russia's powerful and super-rich are also targeted in the latest sanctions announced by the British Prime Minister (PM), Boris Johnson.
"The biggest and toughest economic sanctions package Russia has ever seen is being prepared," the prime minister told the House of Commons.
Russia's national airline, Aeroflot, will also be banned from landing in the UK. These sanctions come after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine began with airstrikes in the early hours of Thursday morning. He also confirmed that sanctions would also be applied to Belarus for its role in the attack on Ukraine.
- The assets of all major Russian banks will be frozen and removed from the British financial system. This will stop them (Russia) accessing Pounds Sterling and making payments through the UK. This includes freezing VTB bank in full and as soon as possible.
- Legislators will stop major Russian companies and the country's state-owned companies from raising finance or borrowing money in the UK market.
- Asset freezes also target 100 individuals or new businesses.
- Aeroflot will be banned from landing in the UK.
- There will be a suspension of export licenses in anticipation of being used to cover components that can be used for military purposes.
- In the next few days, the UK will stop exports of high-tech goods and oil refinery equipment.
- There will be limits on deposits Russians can make in UK bank accounts.
- Similar financial sanctions will be extended to Belarus for its role in the attack on Ukraine. - The UK will table parts of the Economic Crimes Bill before the recess.
- Johnson said there was potential to cut Russia out of Swift's international payments system.
Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said Britain "will not rest until Russia's economy is degraded and Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity is restored".
4. German Sanctions on Russia
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz announced the suspension of the certification process for Russia's Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, a lucrative deal long sought by Moscow but criticized by the US for increasing Europe's dependence on Russian energy. It is known that this USD 11.6 billion project is owned by the Russian state-owned gas giant, Gazprom.
5. Japanese and Australian Sanctions Against Russia
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced sanctions against Russia in the form of a ban on the issuance of Russian bonds in Japan and freezing the assets of certain Russian individuals and restricting travel to Japan.
Meanwhile Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison targeted Russian Security Council members for "behaving like thugs and bullies".
6. Taiwan joins in imposing sanctions on Russia
Taiwan announced that it would join in imposing economic sanctions on Japan on Friday (25/2). The economic sanctions are in the form of restrictions on chip exports. The decision was taken after President Vladimir Putin ordered his troops to attack Ukraine.
This was conveyed by the President of Taiwan, Tsai Ing-wen while attending a ceremony in Tainan. For information, Taiwan is one of the largest chip producing countries. In the current era, chips themselves have become an important component because they are used in everything from cars, laptops to cellphones.
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