Russian President Vladimir Putin today announced a military operation in Ukraine to defend separatists in the east of the country. "I have made the decision of a military operation to protect the people of the Donbas separatist region," he said in a surprise statement on television. Putin appealed to Ukrainian soldiers to lay down their arms and go home.
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1) Russia's defence ministry said it had neutralised Ukrainian military airbases and its air defence systems, hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin launched a military offensive against his country's neighbour. "Military infrastructure at Ukrainian army air bases has been rendered out of action," the defence ministry said in a statement carried by news agencies, which added that Kyiv's air defence systems were "eliminated".
2) Moscow's Stock Exchange said it was "suspending" trading. "Trading on all markets has been suspended. A resumption will be announced later," it said in a statement on its website.
3) Ukraine's ambassador at the United Nations has told the Security Council that Russian President Vladimir Putin has “declared war on Ukraine". He also pressed his Russian counterpart to state that Russia will not shell and bomb Ukrainian cities.
4) Flights from 11 airports in southern Russia and one airport in Moscow-annexed Crimea were cancelled, Russia's main aviation authority Rosaviatsia said in a statement. These include large cities such as Sochi, Krasnodar and Anapa.y.
5) President Joe Biden called the move “an unprovoked and unjustified attack by Russian military forces" and said the “world will hold Russia accountable."
6) The move came even members of the United Nations Security Council urged Putin not to escalate, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres making made a rare direct plea to Putin. “I have only one thing to say, from the bottom of my heart: President Putin, stop your troops from attacking Ukraine," Guterres said. “Give peace a chance. Too many people have already died."
7) Brent oil surged to $100 a barrel for the first time since 2014 as Russia’s dramatic escalation of the Ukraine crisis sparked fears of a disruption to the region’s critical energy exports. Russia is the world's second-largest oil producer, which mainly sells crude to European refineries, and is the largest supplier of natural gas to Europe, providing about 35% of its supply.
8) The Indian equity indices plunged sharply. As of 9:19 am, the benchmark BSE Sensex tanked 1,458 points or 2.55 per cent to 55,774; while the broader NSE Nifty moved 416 points or 2.43 per cent down to 16,646.
9) "I strongly condemn Russia's reckless and unprovoked attack on Ukraine, which puts at risk countless civilian lives. Once again, despite our repeated warnings and tireless efforts to engage in diplomacy, Russia has chosen the path of aggression against a sovereign and independent country," NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.
10) Earlier, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in an address to the nation that any Russian move to aid separatists in the eastern part of Ukraine could cause an escalation in tensions. Ukraine poses no threat to Russia but will defend itself if attacked, Zelenskiy said in his speech. He said Putin didn’t respond to a request to talk by phone on Wednesday.
