In addition, Zelenskyy vowed Ukraine would reclaim its control over Crimea, which was annexed by Russia in 2014. U.S. diplomats are urging their citizens to leave Ukraine right away.
Defiant Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed a tough response to Russian forces if they attack on or around Independence Day.
As Ukraine marks six months since Russia invaded, Ukrainian and allied officials worry that Russia will target civilian and government infrastructure.
A #Ukrainian artist Varvara Shulga is adding a touch of folk art to make those Czech anti-tank hedgehogs in the center of #Kyiv look just a tiny bit more pleasing to the eye. #UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineWillWin pic.twitter.com/xD4p1uLWXi
— KyivPost (@KyivPost) August 17, 2022
US urges citizens to leave Ukraine amid Russian invasion threat
The US State Department warns that it will not be able to evacuate US citizens in case of a Russian military action in Ukraine. President Joe Biden has urged US citizens in Ukraine to leave the country immediately.
The US State Department advised citizens to leave Ukraine and those who remain to exercise caution due to “potential combat operations” should Russia take military action.
The Russian military has been amassing troops near the country’s border with Ukraine, sparking a diplomatic crisis and heightening fears that Russia may be preparing for an imminent invasion of its neighbour.
The U.S. government has warned that Russia is stepping up attacks on civilian infrastructure and government facilities in Ukraine ahead of Wednesday’s anniversary of Ukraine’s independence from the Soviet Union.
The renewed U.S. alert comes after similar warnings from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and other officials that Moscow may carry out intense attacks, including missile strikes, around August 24. Ukraine’s government warned citizens to be “especially careful” on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Ukrainian military has called on Russia to cease military operations at or near Ukraine’s nuclear facilities and to return full control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant to Ukraine. The town of Nikopol suffered shelling on Ukraine’s Day of the National Flag on Tuesday.
The death of Darya Dugina, a Russian political commentator and the daughter of prominent ultranationalist ideologue Alexander Dugin, has prompted Russia to blame Ukrainian special services for her killing. Ukraine has denied any involvement in Dugina’s killing, calling the FSB claims fiction.
Zelenskyy warns world is on the ‘verge of nuclear disaster
25 ships have left Ukrainian ports, and the UN Secretary-General called them “ships of hope” for Ukrainian farmers, seafarers, and the entire shipping industry.
Ukraine’s state rescue service said that 21 civilians were killed in Russian attacks on residential buildings in Kharkiv. Nine people were rescued from the rubble.
Russia is believed to be stepping up its counteroffensive in southern Ukraine, where it has occupied numerous territories.
The United States and the International Atomic Energy Agency have expressed concern about Russia’s military takeover of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant.
Boris Johnson visits Kyiv as Zelenskiy warns Russia
Volodymyr Zelenskiy said Russia had brought the world “to the brink of a radiation disaster” with its control of the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant. Boris Johnson announced £54 million in aid to the Ukrainian military. The number of people facing acute food insecurity worldwide has more than doubled to 345 million since 2019 due to the Covid 19 pandemic, conflict and climate change, according to the World Food Program. The U.K. is not importing energy from Russia for the first time in its history.
U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres said the six-month anniversary of the start of Russia’s war in Ukraine is a “sad and tragic milestone,” adding that “warning lights are flashing.”
Boris Johnson said that the British people are paying for Vladimir Putin’s war with Ukraine with high energy bills, while the Ukrainian people are “paying with their blood.”
A year ago, on Aug. 24, a new generation of pilots led Ukrainian air forces over Independence Square in Kyiv. A few days later, Anton Lystopad, one of the country’s best pilots, was killed in action.
Olha Kachurenko, 43, and her 13-year-old daughter Marharyta fled their home in the southern town of Mykolaiv, not far from Russian-occupied Kherson, on March 18. On March 23, they applied to the British Homes for Ukraine program.
The World Food Program said that the coronavirus pandemic and environmental problems were the main destabilizing factors in the Middle East and Africa and that the impact of the Ukraine crisis was having a “massive repercussion” on the region.
Ukraine celebrates 31st anniversary – European leaders preparing for a grim winter
Germany has banned neon signs and restricted heating in public buildings.
Emmanuel Macron warned the French to expect casualties and a difficult winter due to climate change and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The Zaporizhzhya plant, built in Soviet times, is the largest nuclear reactor in Europe. Calls for demilitarization of the site are growing louder, and one official said fighting around the plant posed less risk than a cooling failure.
Boris Johnson has announced £54 million in assistance to Ukraine, including unmanned surveillance and missile systems for the Ukrainian military. The UK has also announced plans to tighten visa requirements for Russians but is unsure whether an outright ban on entry is the “right way to go. Ukraine is preparing for possible brutal attacks on the occasion of its Independence Day and 31 years since the end of Soviet rule.
After the Kremlin ordered an invasion of Ukraine in February, the United Kingdom halted energy imports from Russia and by June had already met its goal of ending imports by 2022.
The war in eastern Ukraine has been going on for six months now, but neither Russia nor Ukraine is ready to stop fighting, despite the losses they have suffered. The Kremlin believes that winter will work to its advantage.
Ukraine has switched its strategy to long-range missile attacks and daring special forces assaults on Russian bases deep behind the front lines in an effort to retake Kherson.
Russia has no new offensive plan except to mobilize artillery, destroy towns, and cut its way forward. It has suffered 15,000 casualties so far, but still holds large swaths of Ukrainian territory.
Johnson visited Ukraine for the fourth time this year and reiterated his support for the country on Independence Day.
