Russia launches special military operation against the Donbass region Ukraine decides to sever diplomatic relations with Russia Putin shouts that Ukrainian troops "lay down their weapons and go home"

Timeline of the evolution of the situation in Russia and Ukraine

November 2013

The Ukrainian government announced the suspension of preparations for the signing of an associated country agreement with the European Union, while saying it would strengthen economic and trade relations with other CIS countries such as Russia.

February 2014

Ongoing unrest in The Ukrainian capital, Kiev, has left many people dead and wounded. Ukrainian opposition parties dominated the parliament and passed a series of resolutions, including the removal of Yanukovych from the presidency, and the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs announced the arrest of Yanukovych and several senior officials of his regime.

April 2014

Thousands of people in the Donetsk, Kharkiv and Luhansk oblasts of eastern Ukraine protested, proposing federalism in Ukraine and joining Russia. Large-scale armed conflict broke out between government forces and civilian forces in the Donbass region. The civil armed forces subsequently proclaimed the establishment of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic".

September 5, 2014

Through the mediation of the international community, representatives of the Ukrainian government and civilian armed representatives of eastern Ukraine reached a ceasefire agreement in Minsk, the capital of Belarus, but the conflict has not completely ceased since then.

December 23, 2014

The Parliament of Ukraine passed a bill on the renunciation of the country's non-aligned status, deciding to deepen cooperation with NATO.

February 12, 2015

The new Minsk Agreement is signed. Since then, large-scale clashes between Ukrainian government forces and civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine have been brought under control, but small-scale firefights have occurred from time to time.

February 7

The Ukrainian Parliament adopted constitutional amendments to include Ukraine's accession to the European Union and NATO as the country's basic policy.

December 10, 2021

The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the dialogue on security guarantees with the United States and other Western countries, asking the United States and NATO to provide legal guarantees to rule out further eastward expansion.

10 - 13 January 2022

Russia has engaged in dialogue with the United States and NATO on security assurances, respectively, but neither has achieved substantive results.

January 22, 2022

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry issued a statement saying that a shipment of U.S.-aided Ukrainian arms arrived in Kiev on the same day. Since then, Britain, Poland, Canada and other countries have successively provided arms assistance to Ukraine.

January 26, 2022

The United States and NATO each submitted written responses to Russia's security recommendations, but the United States and NATO did not budge on many key issues.

February 2, 2022

The U.S. Department of Defense announced it would send additional troops to Europe to deal with tensions along the Russian-Ukrainian border. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Glushko said the US decision will exacerbate military tensions.

February 17, 2022

The Ukrainian military said civilian forces in eastern Ukraine launched shelling into areas controlled by government forces on the same day. Civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine accused Ukrainian government forces of first using heavy weapons to attack areas under their control.

February 18, 2022

An explosion occurred at the seat of government of the "Donetsk People's Republic", which was self-established by the civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine. Civilian armed forces in eastern Ukraine announced a mass evacuation of local residents to Russia.

February 21, 2022

Putin signed orders on the recognition of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and on the recognition of the "Luhansk People's Republic", as well as treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the two "republics".

February 22, 2022

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said Russia's recognition of the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic" was its unilateral withdrawal from the Minsk agreement.

The Russian Federation Committee (the upper house of parliament) passed a relevant resolution on the 22nd local time, allowing the Russian president to use federal armed forces outside Russia.

February 24, 2022

Putin delivered a national speech and decided to conduct "special military operations" in the Donbass region. Subsequently, several attacks were carried out on The territory of Ukraine.

Russian President Putin announced on the 24th that a special military operation was launched in the Donbass region. He said Russia had no intention of occupying Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Zelenskiy announced later in the day that Ukraine had decided to sever diplomatic relations with Russia and impose martial law throughout the country, but called on the public not to panic.

Putin: There is no intention to occupy Ukrainian territory

Won't force anyone

Putin said in a speech to the whole country in the early morning of the 24th that the situation forced the Russian side to act decisively and should "ask for help from the 'Republic' of the Donbass", and he decided to launch a special military operation.

Putin said russia has no intention of occupying Ukrainian territory and will not force anyone, but if there is bloodshed, "the responsibility is all on" the Ukrainian government. He called on Ukrainian servicemen to "lay down their arms and go home."

Putin said Russia sought to "demilitarize" Ukraine. He did not give a specific explanation. Putin also blamed the United States and the US-led North Atlantic Treaty Organization for the current situation. He said that in the past 30 years, Russia has patiently sought an agreement with major NATO countries on NATO's non-eastward expansion, but it has always been deceived, pressured and blackmailed.

Putin signed an order on the evening of the 21st to recognize the "Donetsk People's Republic" and the "Luhansk People's Republic" in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine. The Ukrainian government condemns russia's move as a violation of Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Zelenskiy: Russian troops entered Ukraine

The Ukrainians repelled the Russian attack

Zelenskiy also delivered a national speech on the 24th. He said russian troops entered Ukraine, the Ukrainian armed forces are engaged in a hard battle, "Russia launched attacks on our military facilities and border guards, and explosions were heard in many parts of Ukraine." He said that the Ukrainian army repelled the Russian attack in the Donbass region and in the eastern, northern and southern regions of Ukraine. He said the Russians suffered heavy losses and would suffer even greater losses.

Zelenskiy said that in accordance with the decision of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine, the Ukrainian government began to issue weapons to all Ukrainians who have the ability and willingness to defend the country. Every Ukrainian with combat experience can join the fight, and they should immediately report to the relevant departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. He hoped that the Ukrainian people would remain calm and try not to go out. Zelenskiy also said that the Central Bank of Ukraine and the state banking system have all the resources to maintain the operation of the country and safeguard the interests of the Ukrainian people. The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine then voted to adopt the Presidential Decree on the Imposition of a Wartime State throughout Ukraine.

Zelenskiy stressed that the Ukrainian army and defense sector are "functioning" and are ready to "be able to defeat anyone."

On the 24th local time, Ukrainian Kiev Mayor Krychenko said that kiev, the capital of Ukraine, will implement a curfew policy. Subsequently, the Ukrainian region of Cherkasser also announced that a curfew policy would be imposed.

The command of the Ukrainian National Guard was allegedly destroyed

The Ukrainian General Staff said that the Russian armed forces began to strike at military facilities and military airports in many Ukrainian cities at 5 o'clock local time on the 24th. Russian military equipment, including armored vehicles, has crossed the border into Chernihiv, Samui, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions.

Zelenskiy's adviser Alexi Alesstović said that the Russian army had penetrated 10 to 20 kilometers deep into Chernihiv in the north, and the Ukrainian army exchanged fire with the Russian army 5 kilometers north of the second largest city, Kharkiv, destroying 4 tanks of the other side. The Ukrainians also claimed to have shot down 5 Russian fighters. Arestovich claimed that the Russians failed to achieve their stated goal of defeating the Ukrainians in one fell swoop, and that "the capital Kiev was reliably protected ... They (the Russians) will face a hard battle."

However, local media reported that Russian tanks had entered Kharkov. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian military used high-precision weapons to strike Ukrainian military targets, suppressing the other side's air defense capabilities and paralyzing the infrastructure of the other side's military bases. The Russian Defense Ministry said that the Russian army did not carry out artillery or air raids on the city of Uzbekistan, and the operation would not threaten civilians.

The Russian Defense Ministry also said that a large number of Ukrainian soldiers have laid down their weapons and abandoned their positions, and the Russian army will not attack the Ukrainian soldiers who have laid down their weapons. In addition, the Russian Defense Ministry also released information that the Russian army eliminated the combat capabilities of the Ukrainian Navy and Air Force within an hour.

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations of Ukraine, the command of the Ukrainian National Guard has been destroyed.

According to Agence France-Presse, on February 24, local time, Ukrainian President Zelenskiy said that the Russian military is trying to seize control of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. Earlier in the day, it was reported that Russian troops had entered Ukraine from the direction of Belarus, and fierce fighting broke out between the two sides in Chernobyl.

Features

Kiev, the capital of Ukraine after the explosion:

Food deliveries are out of order, shops are closed, and streets are empty

The situation in Russia and Ukraine continues to be tense. On the 24th local time, following the explosion in many places in Ukraine and the sound of air raid sirens, civil defense sirens sounded over Kiev, the capital of Ukraine.

According to Nicole, a Guangzhou girl working in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, public transportation in Kiev is currently running normally, with normal water, electricity and network, but all takeaways have been stopped, and people around them will basically go to some big supermarkets to buy emergency supplies.

At around 5 p.m. Beijing time on February 24, Nicole went to GULLIVER, a landmark mall in the center of Kiev, to buy daily necessities. From the video she shot back from the scene, the street was empty and occasionally pedestrians passed by.

Entering the mall, the merchants and stores have all been closed, and only the supermarkets opened underground are still operating normally. Ni-cole said there are slightly more people queuing up at supermarkets to check out than ever before, but supplies are temporarily plentiful for now.

analyse

The Russian army boldly "defended and counterattacked"

Behind it is not simple

According to the Russian Satellite News Agency reported on the 24th, Russian President Putin announced in a special speech to the Russian people on the same day that he decided to carry out special military operations in Donbass. At the same time, according to numerous video clips circulating on social media platforms, huge explosions and smoke have occurred in Kharkiv, the capital of Uzbekistan, the port of Odessa in southwestern Ukraine, and the port of Mariupol in the southeast. It is reported that the Russian armored forces have broken through the borders of Kharkiv Oblast and have made moves in the direction of Belarus. According to Russian media reports, russian amphibious forces have landed in Odessa. It can be seen that the Russian army has put up a position of simultaneous assault from the north, east and south of Ukraine.

As can be seen from the videos of "caliber" cruise missiles whizzing overhead taken by many netizens, the first wave of russian offensives relied heavily on the assault of tactical ballistic missiles and long-range cruise missiles. The use of these long-range precision-guided weapons is intended to paralyze Uzbekistan's important military facilities and "pave the way" for attack operations.

Thanks to satellite imagery and social media platforms, it is difficult for large-scale troop movements and deployments in modern warfare and conflict to be completely unknown to the outside world.

Some analysts previously believed that the Russian military's recent large-scale mobilization of troops and intentional or unintentional display is a "dual use" of military means: in addition to directly throwing itself into the war to eliminate the opponent's war machine, this posture of "triggering but not launching" can reflect a strong determination and intention, deter the opponent, and make its actions scrupulous.

It should be said that a series of military reforms carried out by Russia after 2010 have realized the "fat reduction and muscle gain" of the Russian army, which is where the confidence and confidence of the Russian army dare to boldly use military means this time.

On the one hand, the Russian military has adjusted the structure of the troops, strengthened the rapid response and mobilization capabilities, and better adapted to the needs of modern warfare. For example, after strengthening situational awareness, electronic countermeasures and long-range strike capabilities, the "battalion-level combat groups" that have been widely concerned by the Western media and military circles have shown great power in actual combat, and the Russian airborne troops have also demonstrated strong airlift capabilities and rapid response capabilities in the recent events in Kazakhstan.

On the other hand, the equipment of the Russian army has gradually got rid of the decline after the collapse of the Soviet Union and achieved the renewal within its capabilities, which has brought about a significant improvement in the combat effectiveness of the Russian army. In recent years, the Russian Army has replaced advanced main battle tanks such as the T-72B3M and T-90, which has made the armored assault force that the Russian army has always relied on more elite. In particular, long-range precision strike methods represented by the Iskander/Caliber missile system and the Tornado long-range rocket launcher have demonstrated their power in previous Actual Battles in Syria.

In addition, the deployment and actual combat of the Russian army in Syria is also a major factor that cannot be ignored. Since the Russian military intervened in the Syrian war in 2015, the relevant troops, command and logistics systems of the Russian army have maintained a high level of actual combat. Its units such as aviation, armored forces and special forces have gained actual combat experience. A number of new weapons, such as "caliber" cruise missiles and "armor" air defense systems, have been tested in actual combat, and tactics and experience in countering unmanned aerial vehicles and using precision-guided weapons have been accumulated. This will undoubtedly enhance the Russian military's ability to cope with conflicts and wars under modern conditions.

For Russia, this is a "defensive counterattack" in the face of the heavy pressure of NATO's eastward expansion, but it remains to be seen whether the subsequent changes in the unfavorable strategic posture it is facing; for the United States and NATO, the long-term eastward "arch" and the recent continuous "arch fire" are undoubtedly adding fuel to the fire and intending to profit from it. The previous statement of the US side that "it will never send troops to Ukraine to oppose Russia" has somewhat given people the feeling of being strong in the outside world. In short, the development of the situation in Russia and Ukraine to this day has a complex historical longitude and latitude, which is the result of the accumulation of contradictions for a long time, and it still needs close observation of how the follow-up situation develops.

What is Putin's goal in going to war between Russia and Ukraine?

The war between Russia and Ukraine has begun, so what is Putin's goal? Some analysts pointed out that Putin emphasized the scope and goal of the war in his televised speech, that is, the "small war" in Donbass, Russia has no intention of occupying Ukraine, and the military operation in the Donbass region is only to protect the people. But Putin revealed that another goal is the demilitarization of Ukraine. Under what circumstances would a sovereign state be demilitarized? Defeat. After World War II, Japan and Germany were disarmed.

In the Russian-Ukrainian border war crisis since December last year, Russia intends to redraw secure borders with NATO and the United States, but this demand has been ignored, and the written responses of NATO and the United States have not met Russia's three core demands. In February, the franco-German leaders' good offices diplomacy did not reach a compromise on core interests. On February 14, Russia announced the completion of military exercises and the withdrawal of troops, which means that Russia's game with the United States and NATO has been fruitless.

Since it is difficult for Russia to redraw the security scope with NATO and the United States, Russia has turned the Donbass region into a buffer zone, and even demilitarized and neutralized Ukraine, which has become a suboptimal goal. Now, Russia's proposed "demilitarization" at least means regime change in Ukraine. Analysts believe that the goal of this war is no longer the incorporation of Donbass into Russia, but the demilitarization of Ukraine through war, and the Russian army "blitzkriegs" Ukraine, achieve regime change, and gradually withdraw troops, which should be the final goal.

According to the Russian Satellite Network, Russian presidential press secretary Peskov said that the goal of Russia's special military operation is to demilitarize Ukraine. The duration of Russia's actions will be determined by Russian President Vladimir Putin, depending on the effectiveness of the actions.

The situation in Ukraine could affect Biden's midterm elections

Jennifer Law, who lives in Chicago, the third-largest city in the United States, recently noticed that local radio stations were getting more and more reports about the situation in Ukraine, and she was annoyed when she heard it. The 51-year-old housewife has voted for the current president, Democrat Biden, but she is unhappy with the Biden administration's handling of the situation in Ukraine. She believes that the United States is involved in wars overseas only to make money, and that as an ordinary American, she is more concerned about the rising crime rate, the proliferation of guns, and systemic racial discrimination.

Edward Eller, a 67-year-old retiree living in Johnson County, Tennessee, has a similar view to Law. Rather than spending large sums of American taxpayer money on "preventing a war that has nothing to do with us," he said, the White House needs to focus more on issues like lower oil prices. And Law and Eller's views represent the attitudes of many ordinary Americans.

In November, the United States will usher in a re-election of Congress, that is, a midterm election. Analysts pointed out that Biden and congressional Democrats were supposed to focus on voters' concerns and prepare for the midterm elections, but the situation in Ukraine could "interfere" with the election. According to a poll conducted by the American Center for Public Affairs Research from the 18th to the 21st, only 26% of the American people believe that the United States should play a major role in resolving the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, and the proportion of the United States that the United States should play a secondary role or should not intervene is 52% and 20%, respectively.

The U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 7.5 percent year-on-year in January, the highest level in 40 years, according to a poll released by the Center for Public Affairs Research in December, which shows that the U.S. people are most concerned about economic issues right now, including rising inflation. In addition, issues such as the new crown epidemic and social security have also received widespread attention.

Will U.S.-Russia space cooperation be interrupted?

As the situation in Ukraine escalates, four American astronauts, two Russian astronauts and one German astronaut continue to work together on the International Space Station, about 400 kilometers from the Earth's surface.

Among them, astronaut Mark Van der Hai from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) boarded the Russian Soyuz spacecraft on the International Space Station last April and is scheduled to return to Earth on March 30 this year with Russian astronauts Peter Dubrov and Anton Shkaprerov in another Soyuz spacecraft.

In the early morning of the 24th Moscow time, Russian President Putin announced the launch of a special military operation in the Donbass region. The Western Group of Seven is scheduled to meet on the morning of the 24th Eastern Time to discuss "all-round sanctions" against Russia. However, according to Reuters, as of the 23rd, the sanctions imposed by the United States on Russia around the situation in Ukraine do not involve the Russian space program. The long-term collaboration between the two countries around the operation of the International Space Station appears to have remained unaffected and continues as planned.

"The ongoing operations on the space station include work on safely delivering crew members to the space station and back to Earth," NASA spokesman Dann Yuo told Reuters in an email. The Russian Space Agency has not responded to the interview's questions.

About seven weeks ago, the Biden administration promised to try to get the International Space Station in service beyond 2030. At this stage, NASA is still negotiating a new "crew exchange" agreement with the Russian Space Agency. Under such agreements, U.S. astronauts can ride on russia's Soyuz, and Russian astronauts can ride on the Dragon spacecraft developed by U.S. Space Exploration Technology for free. NASA said the agreement is expected to be reached, and three Russian astronauts have already been trained at NASA's Lyndon Johnson Space Center near Houston.

The interests of the United States and Russia in space are intertwined, as can be seen from the most recent launch. On the 19th of this month, northrop Grumman launched a "Cygnus" spacecraft for NASA. The spacecraft arrived at the International Space Station on the 21st, sending food, fuel and equipment weighing nearly 3.8 tons. The Cygnus was orbited by the Great Mars launch vehicle, whose first-stage boosters were mostly designed and manufactured in Ukraine, using two Russian-made RD-181 engines. This edition is a compilation of Xinhua News Agency, CCTV, China News Network, Reference News, etc. Xinhua News Agency reporter Bai Xueqi photographed