| Translate This News In |
|---|
On Saturday, Russia’s strategic nuclear forces conducted manoeuvres under the supervision of President Vladimir Putin, as the US accused Russian troops massed near Ukraine’s border of advancing and being “prepared to attack.”
With Western concerns of conflict mounting, US President Joe Biden’s national security staff advised him that Russia may strike Ukraine “at any time,” and that he planned to meet with his senior aides on Sunday to discuss the matter.
Foreign ministers from the G7 group of wealthy nations said they have seen no evidence that Russia is lowering its military presence in the region and that the situation remains “gravely concerning.”
France and Germany urged all or some of its citizens in Ukraine to leave as Kyiv and Moscow swapped accusations over new firing near the border. Russian soldiers are beginning to “uncoil and move closer” to the border, according to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Russia ordered the military build-up while demanding that NATO prevent Ukraine from ever joining the alliance. However, Russia dismisses Western concerns that it is contemplating an invasion of Ukraine as irrational and dangerous. Moscow claims to be retreating, but the United States and its allies fear the build-up is intensifying.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy expressed his dissatisfaction with the global security architecture during a security conference in Munich. He requested the UN Security Council’s permanent members, Germany and Turkey, to meet and draught fresh security guarantees for his country.
On Saturday, World Bank President David Malpass told Zelenskiy that the bank was preparing a $350 million loan for Ukraine.
Missiles That Are Both Hypersonic And Cruise
During the nuclear forces drills, Russia stated it successfully test-launched hypersonic and cruise missiles at sea. From a “situation centre,” Putin watched the drills on screens with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Biden stated on Friday that he believes Putin has decided to invade Ukraine in the coming days, while Austin said on Saturday that nuclear weapons exercises are causing global anxiety.
In a statement, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said, “President Biden continues to watch the unfolding situation in Ukraine and is being updated on events on the ground on a regular basis by his national security staff.” “They reiterated that Russia has the capability to attack Ukraine at any time.”
The G7 foreign ministers urged Russia to take the diplomatic route. “As a first step, we expect Russia to carry out its previously stated reduction in military activity along Ukraine’s borders. We have not observed any proof of this decrease “In a statement, they stated.
The nuclear drills follow operations by Russia’s armed forces in the past four months, which included a build-up of soldiers to the north, east, and south of Ukraine, estimated by the West to number 150,000 or more.
NATO workers were evacuated from Kyiv to the western city of Lviv and to Brussels for safety reasons, according to a NATO official. Diplomats from the US and other nations have relocated to Lviv.
Rumors of Shelling
In 2014, Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine after Russian-backed separatists captured a large section of eastern Ukraine. The violence in the east, according to Kyiv, has killed over 14,000 people.
Separatist commanders in eastern Ukraine have called for full military mobilisation after ordering women and children to flee to Russia, alleging a danger of an impending attack by Ukrainian forces, which Kyiv has rejected.
Two shells fell on Russian soil near the border, according to Russia’s FSB security service, according to the Tass news agency.
Ukraine’s military accused Russia of fabricating shell images to make it appear as though they were Ukrainian, and said that mercenaries had landed in separatist-held eastern Ukraine to orchestrate provocations in coordination with Russian special forces.
On Friday, more than 1,400 explosives were reported in the two Russian-backed self-proclaimed republics in Ukraine’s Donetsk and Luhansk regions, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). According to Reuters, OSCE monitors recorded around 2,000 ceasefire violations in the area on Saturday.
Multiple explosions were heard in the centre of the separatist-controlled city of Donetsk overnight and into Sunday, according to a Reuters reporter. The cause of the explosions was unknown. Separatist authorities and Kyiv had no immediate reply.
“It’s terrifying. I’ve packed all I could fit in my bag “Tatyana, 30, was on her way to catch a bus with her 4-year-old kid.
10,000 evacuees had landed in Russia, according to Russian news outlets. Separatist leaders predict 700,000 people will be evacuated.
