Russia and Ukraine Conflict: Latest Updates

In the early hours of Thursday morning the 24^th of February, Vladimir Putin, the president of Russia, announced a “special military operation” during a televised address to his citizens. Since then, Russian forces are attacking Ukraine from three sides on a “massive scale”, now having reached Kyiv, the capital city. Explosions have been reported in the following cities of Ukraine, which are Kharkiv, Kramatorsk, Mariupol, and Kyiv; read on for the latest updates on the Russia and Ukraine conflict.

Trigger Warning: this may be a sensitive topic for some people, therefore, only read on if you feel that you can.

Russian forces launched a full-scale attack on Ukraine, with the military approaching from the country’s north, east and south. Today, the military reached the capital city, Kyiv, where thousands of people have been trying to flee and seek safety in neighbouring countries. There have been reports of explosions and sirens throughout the day.

Ukraine has said they will fight back with a warning from the president that this could be the start of a major European war. The UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has commented that Russia has started a “tidal wave of violence” against Ukraine.

Further to this, the Russian President has urged the Ukrainian army to overthrow its leadership whom he labelled as a “gang of drug addicts and neo-Nazis who have lodged itself in Kyiv and taken hostage the entire Ukrainian people”. Putin claimed that the Ukrainian leadership had been engaged in “genocide” in the Donbas region in eastern Ukraine. He said, “We are fighting with nationalist groups that are directly responsible for the genocide of the Donbas and the bloodshed of peaceful civilians in the two republics.”

Here is a summary of the key events that have happened so far:

• All 13 Ukrainian soldiers defending an island in the Black Sea from an air and sea bombardment died after refusing to surrender to Russian troops on Thursday, Ukrainian officials said.
• Russian forces advanced to the outskirts of the city from three sides while Ukrainian soldiers established defensive positions at key bridges and patrolled in armoured vehicles down the city’s streets.
• The mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko, said the city had entered “a defensive phase”.
• Dmitry Peskov, the Kremlin spokesman, said Russia was ready to send a delegation, including foreign and defence ministry officials, to the Belarusian capital, Minsk, for talks with Ukraine. Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelenskiy earlier in the day urged Russia to start negotiations, although it is unclear under which terms he would be ready to talk.
• President Zelenskiy said, “When bombs fall on Kyiv, it happens in Europe, not just in Ukraine. When missiles kill our people, they kill all Europeans.” He pleaded for international help and for western powers to act faster to cut off Russia’s economy and provide Ukraine with military assistance.