Russian President Valdimir Putin has announced a military operation in Ukraine, and has warned the other countries that any attempt to interfere with the Russian action would lead to “consequences they have never seen.”
The US President Joe Biden has condemned the move by Russia and has said that the world will hold Russia accountable over the military onslaught against Ukraine, warning that it will cause huge “catastrophic loss of life.”
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Over the last few days, there has been a large scale deployment of Russian military columns on the Russia-Ukraine borders. The tension escalated after Putin declared two separatist regions in Ukraine ‘independent’ and deployed Russian military as a measure to maintain peace.
At the UN Security council meeting, India’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations TS Tirumurti expressed concerns over the growing tensions along the Ukraine-Russia border. He emphasized that an immediate de-escalation should be given a priority so the situation remains under control.
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“The calls of the international community to give time to the recent initiatives undertaken by parties to diffuse tensions were not heeded to. The situation is in danger of spiraling into a major crisis. We call for immediate de-escalation and refraining from any further action that could contribute to a worsening of the situation,” he added.
Ukrainian forces have been battling Moscow-backed insurgents since 2014 when Russia invaded and seized control of the Crimea Peninsula from Ukraine. In its retaliation, the US enacted a series of sanctions against Russia including economic sanctions. However, the economic sanctions have been largely ineffective, and moving forwards, the chances that Russia would be deterred by Washington’s fresh economic sanctions are even lesser.
Ukraine’s Minister of Foreign Affairs said that the country will defend itself from Putin’s “war of aggression.” Ukraine will defend itself and will win, added the minister. Five Russian planes along with one helicopter have been shot down by Ukraine military in Luhansk, as per the sources and the Ukraine President has declared martial law in the country.
