Putin declares war on Ukraine and threatens NATO

Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine early on Thursday as Russian forces carried out missile attacks across Ukraine, well beyond the separatist regions he claims to defend, prompting the U.S. and the international community to issue condemnations along with promises of harsh new sanctions (CNN and The Wall Street Journal).

Before dawn on Thursday, Putin declared that Russia had begun a “special military operation” that he said was in defense of separatist regions, with the aim of the “demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine.” He called on Ukrainians to lay down their weapons (The Hill) and issued a threat: “Anyone who tries to interfere with us, or even more so, to create threats for our country and our people, must know 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 any turn of events.”

Russia launched missile attacks and blasts were heard in Kyiv, the capital; in Kharkiv, the second largest city; in Kramatorsk in the region of Donetsk, one of two eastern Ukrainian territories claimed by Russia-backed separatists since 2014; in Odessa and at a military base in Mariupol (pictured above), aimed at crippling Ukrainian defenses

Source: Los Angeles Post

Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin (President of Russian Federation)